Top Social Media Blunders to Avoid

|| For Freelancers & Entrepreneurs |

Social media is the all buzz these days. And rightly so. Among all channels where companies can promote their brands, it is on social media where the potential for ROI is the highest. Often, doing great in social media is doing great in the sales arena.

That said, building your brand on social media is great. There are very few businesses that can really afford to ignore social media and if your company is not one of these, then conducting social media campaigns early can do magic for your company. However, leveraging the advantages of social media can backfire if your campaigns are haphazardly conducted. Remember, just as a viral promotional campaign can have a huge positive impact, the other side of the coin applies just as much. A campaign gone wrong can generate a viral effect that can be terribly detrimental to the brand.

One of the worst things social media marketers can commit is to start something on social media without a plan. Doing so is a hanging disaster waiting to fall heavily on the brand. Not knowing the basics (the brand's target audience, the best team to manage social media campaign, the metrics to be used when assessing campaign success) can be very costly indeed.

Another common social media blunder is to execute a good campaign at the wrong time. Tweeting just about any time you want can be very wasteful, for example. Understanding the best time to deliver tweets to your target audience is a priceless market information.

Lastly, inaccurately assessing the results of your social media campaigns will never allow your team to appreciate the real impact of your campaign. Subsequent campaigns may then be executed without the benefits of precise market information and your team will remain perpetually at a loss on how your social efforts are really impacting your business.