Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing for Beginners Looking to Sell, Sell, Sell!

For small business owners and entrepreneurs new to using social media as a business tool, it’s common to make mistakes. There’s understandably a lot to learn and using sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn for business can be completely different from how you would use it on your own time. Come on too strong with a hard sell and your leads go running. Approach it too casually and you won’t ever find the leads you want. Here are some quick dos and don’ts of how to approach social media marketing for beginners.

Do set a goal

Before you start on any social media campaign, know your goal. How many leads? What’s your targeted conversion rate? How many social interactions or impressions do you want to have weekly, monthly, or for the full campaign? These answers will help you determine the details of a campaign.

Don’t not have a way to measure success

After you set your goal, install the analytics you need to monitor whether a strategy is working. Without knowing the details of a campaign’s performance, you won’t know when you’ve achieved success or failure. As you measure progress along the way, you may also decide to adjust your campaign according to the results you’re getting.

Do engage one-to-one

Powerful social media brands get to their spot by engaging in one-to-one communication, between brand and lead. Just like you would at a networking event, make your way across comments, likes, and shares, and be responsive to questions. Facebook marketing in particular hinges on interactions like this.

Don’t be generic

Using social media generically with the run-of-the-mill marketing messages of ‘Please buy this!’ isn’t the right approach to take. You won’t build relationships and you’ll probably lose followers. This isn’t personal and it holds no value. Social media’s not just another marketing channel. It requires a whole different type of posting strategy.

Do be real

Consumers want authentic, honest, real brands. If you’re always trying to sell, there’s no point in following a brand like that from a user perspective. Be unique. Show some personality. The more authenticity to show, the more you’re putting out for prospects to connect with, and the easier you’ll find it to accumulate impressions.

Don’t sell

It’s counterintuitive in any sort of marketing digital or otherwise to not sell but don’t. Social media users don’t want to be sold to. They’re there to interact, pass time, have fun, and be informed or entertained. Instagram marketing or Twitter marketing isn’t built on sales pitch after sales pitch. Any time you blindly pitch products or services, you’re wasting money and effort. It’s much more effective to start a conversation or join an existing discussion. If people want to buy, they know where to find you.

Do listen

Above all else, keep your eyes on the screen and ears to the ground. What we mean is there’s useful info out there on social media channels. You can learn what your customers want, competition’s successes and failures, market positioning, and local industry news. If you pay attention, you may even come across some opportunities to build on for your brand.

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