Here at Xcite we are all about positivity, however, as with all social and digital marketing strategy, it’s important not to fall into the trap of making mistakes that could have otherwise been avoided.  We thought this week it would be useful to point out some elements not to do when undertaking social marketing.

1. Never Ignore your audience.  Even if your audience is being negative, it’s important to maintain a good relationship.  deleting information or simply ignoring your audience because they have been unfavourable can do more harm than good.

2. Do not be impolite. Its simply near impossible to take a comment back once its been online, remembering this fact can be vital when interacting with audiences or competitors.  Take time to think about what you want information you want to relay and how the best way to articulate it is.  Even when disagreeing with them, remembering to be polite can save your organisation the necessity for damage control.

3. Not for the sake of it.  There are a wide range of social platforms that are available to all organisation, however its important to make sure you are able to build a framework which enables you to use them appropriately.  Do not just use platforms just for the sake of it.

4. Don’t just sell, be informative.  It’s easy to use the social platforms as a way of selling yourself, but it’s equally important to think outside the box.  Think about providing your audience with information that can help their organisation to solve problems.  You will find them much more engaging if they are not constantly faced with how brilliant the company is and what they have to offer.

5. Use your audience to your advantage too.  Once you have built up a strong audience you can use them for brainstorming ideas.  You have the option of gaining marketing information direct from your consumers, why not make the most of it.

All marketing has the potential to show positive results for an organisation, provided it is done well.  Major campaigns that possibly stretch across multiple platforms are always better left to the professionals.  Xcite can help you with the development of a digital marketing campaign.  To find out more please check out our website.

 

Sourced from: http://www.toprankblog.com/2011/12/20-social-media-dos-donts/