The Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing

social-media-marketing

Social media marketing is everywhere, from everyone, to everyone. It’s an advertiser’s dream to put ads in the palms of consumer’s hands; our favorite guys from Mad Men would be ecstatic with what at one point seemed impossible!

From our local grocers, @HartsGrocers, to international celebrities, such as @kyliejenner, it seems like everyone has something to say, or sell, to us. But who’s doing this right and who isn’t quite closing the deal for us? A subjective question, but there are a few key elements of every successful social media marketer that make it an unquestionable success, or not.

The Do’s

The do’s are easy, some might even say self-explanatory. Do:

Be on the platforms that matter to your customers

For instance, it makes total sense for Express to advertise on Snapchat while watching the Cosmo Snapstory. It’s their ideal target, they have Karlie Kloss as their spokesperson, and the short ad really does grab attention.

Have a quality online presence

Companies, including Rochester company CGI Communications, can exist purely on creating and managing an online presence for businesses. In the middle of this digital age, we have outlets, such as Yelp, Angie’s List, and Google recommending people to potential businesses to be customers. The recommendations really do matter here, so it’s best to be on top of what others are saying about you!

Be authentic

Just because a company has the ability to post whatever and whenever, the best way to utilize social media is to use it as an opportunity to build their brand. An example of a company doing this right is Aerie. Their goal is to be an approachable, real life brand for ordinary women and that’s exactly how they portray themselves: no Photoshop, no touchups, no unattainable body types.

The Don’ts

The don’ts of social media marketing isn’t as cut and dry as the do’s are. Brands can make fatal mistakes without even realizing it. Do not:

Hashtag without thinking

Just ask DiGiorno’s Pizza after they joined in the conversation of #WhyIStayed following the Rick Rice scandal by tweeting, “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.” We get that you were just trying to be funny, DiGiorno, but you’re not.

Erase your issues (or your followers)

Smucker’s learned the hard way that simply deleting comments of angry customers was not the best way to handle complaints. Social media can be a way to be personal and build brand equity, not destroy it.

Overshare

We all have that one relative on Facebook who can’t help but share every second of their day with way (and we mean way) too much information; but that’s what family is for. Brands don’t share the same purpose, yet sometimes we see them doing the same thing! Quality over quantity, plain and simple.

 

Well, these are the best tips I have for the do’s and the don’ts of social media marketing. If you look closely at some of your favorite brands, they probably do the do’s (and avoid the don’ts)!

 

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