Are you held down by any social media pitfalls?
If you’re a blogger, you should know the great potential of running a social media campaign for your business. It’s cost effective when you subscribe to the paid listing as in Facebook advertising. On the other hand, it’s 100% free when you follow the systematic approach. All in all, social media networks are not just platforms where you connect and share photos. You can easily sell your products, services and expand your online business.
But there are pitfalls you should avoid. Maybe you’ve been a victim of these 5 pitfalls but didn’t realize it. As you read along, have an open mind that’s willing to re-adjust and re-plan. If you’re ready as I’m am, let’s dive in on the five social media plights…
1. Inconsistent Marketing
The first social media pitfall that stops bloggers from seeing results in their business is inconsistency in marketing. There is no guarantee that joining a social media network today would bring instant results. Most of the successful social media marketers out there started a long time ago.
When you see their huge fan-base, do you resolve the got those in 30 days? Absolutely not! Even before their first domain name was hosted, they’ve been marketing online and their social media campaigns were active.
If you’re not consistent, you won’t see results both in the short and long term. Internet marketing doesn’t produce instant results. Except you run a pay per click advert that sends direct traffic to your offer – but you still need to build relationships with them before selling any product/service. Be consistent in your marketing and you would succeed.
2. Social Media Information Overload
How many social media books have you read so far?
When I first started, I thought much information on any given subject is the key to becoming knowledgeable. Often, the less is better especially when the less you consume is informative and from generous experts who want others to succeed them. Before writing this guest post, I had to check my computer hard drive to determine what’s making it load slowly.
Guess what? The free reports were so much. Don’t read so many books on the same topic. Instead, look for qualitative information from your role model and follow what he shares. Earlier in my niche blogging career, several of my coupon blogs that reviews sittercity coupons and 6pm discounts suffered from keyword stuffing.
Why? I got my hands on a crappy advice called “bum marketing” that tricks Google into ranking you highly. Don’t be a victim of this information overload for long – have a rethink today.
3. You Don’t Have A Mentor
You need speed in this information age to excel intelligently. One such way to triple your success and speed-rate is by having a responsible mentor. One sound idea from a successful mentor can save you thousands in seminars and workshops. Yes, I know how powerful this is, because I constantly resort to recommendations of my role model.
There are several influential social media examiners on the internet. In virtually every niche, you should look for someone with a credible track record and follow their path.
Other people would continue to “guess work,” while your own marketing would be effectively guided. Mentors are powerful – choose wisely and your success would be obvious sooner than you thought.
4. Marketing B.S and Hype
Here is the most dangerous social media pitfall.
A lot of us who started marketing online have an affiliate marketing background. This background has so much influenced our thoughts and made us believe in huge paychecks. It’s easy to know an affiliate marketer who is desperate to earn a commission.
When it comes to social media marketing, marketing B.S. has become the order of the day. I still see people who recommend affiliate offers to their twitter followers without realizing the dent it’s leaving on their credibility. Well, you may succeed in your pranks but tomorrow would tell.
Are you so much engrossed in today’s income while neglecting the trust and authority that honesty would bring in future? Why not make a change today?
5. Social Misinterpretation
What does “social” mean?
In simple terms, social is synonymous with connecting, sharing, communicating and exchange of thoughts, ideas and opinions. Bloggers who do not understand the real definition of social are the ones who introduce marketing B.S. all the time.
If you must win the hearts of social media users, start by connecting. Then share what you know about a given topic or subject in an interesting way. Communicate your brand as polite as possible and don’t forget to ask for something in return (exchange).
It’s much easier to get them to buy, when you first give. Everything in life operates under a law and in social media, giving comes first before receiving. The moment you align your thoughts and actions to this law of giving and receiving, getting prospects to subscribe, purchase or click your links is simpler than your next meal.
So, get off from this social media pitfall and start giving your best solutions. The world is full of problems and they’re counting on you to assist them. Misinterpretation is a marketing cause that should be avoided – know what they want from the very beginning and deliver quickly.
Social Media Wrap-Up
There you’ve it, the five social media pitfalls that keep you from moving ahead in your blogging business. I’ve provided solutions to overcome these plights so you can become the next blogging superstar. Yes, you can if only you plan, think and act in that certain way. See you ahead!
Information overload? What information overload?
I could spend all day going through blog posts in my various social networks, and still not get through them all.
But that’s fine. Just read a few each day. 🙂
Thank you David for commenting. Take it one step at a time. Reading is great but when you don’t implement the ideas you derive, it’s not worth the time. But read all the same to improve your knowledge base.
Good article–especially the suggestion of having a mentor. I feel continually inundated with “too much” incoming information and I think a mentor could help me prioritize and help me stay o track.
Great comment Sandra. when choosing a mentor, ensure they’ve credible past records. thank you for commenting and do check back again for updates
Great all around advice; especially in regards to having a mentor and social media information overload. While I agree with David to a point (that I could read about social media all day), you can’t take everything on the net at face value. Rather you have to glean the quality points away from everything else.
Your comment is fabulous. We shouldn’t take everything on the net at face value. That’s a new concept and angle. Go for it girl, you rock.
Those 5 Social Media Pitfalls was really great, and I’m glad you share this in here I’ve got something idea about this.
As humanity has expanded globally and now is returning to the local community, so follows marketing. It’s all about real relationships. There is no “instant” anything in this model we find ourselves. You may want get those “social skills” down from the shelf and dust them off:)
Am not into affiliate marketing, network marketing or anything of the kind.
However, I have held leading positions in marketing all over the world. Am frankly surprised at the low level of the promotions a lot of online marketers seems to be carrying out.
Am for instance sick and tired of getting spammed with such offers the minute I accept an invitation to connect with someone on Linkedin. Or how they spam even discussions on Linkedin trying to promote whatever they are into. Have you noticed how sometimes 3-4 people into the same affiliate marketing program start exactly the same discussions on the same day in a Linkedin group. Sometimes next to each other. To call it stupid is being kind. It’s suicide:-)
Hello Catarina. I quite understand the angle you are coming from. You rightly named what’s happening online suicide and you can’t be more correct. It’s so pathetic how marketers lose the very essence of marketing online (problem solving) for money.
LinkedIn is supposed to be a neutral ground for aspiring and professional entrepreneurs. I hope the real purpose of setting up social media networks become real to all of us. Thank you for commenting and have a lovely Christmas and Sweet New Year. Michael
Mike this is a great article and something that really resonates with me.
Whilst social media is fantastic and I’m a huge fan it’s also incredibly time consuming.
All marketing should be carried out with a consistent approach, whether it’s online or offline and I’m always amazed by how many people don’t value the importance of this.
As for all the BS and hype – don’t get me started lol I’ve written many articles on it – it’s a huge frustration for me!!!
Thank you Lilach for such a wonderful comment. Yes, we should eliminate all the B.S and hype and focus on relationship building. That’s where the real benefits are. Have a great day and goodluck in your business.
Hi Michael,
Great article. Yes you’re right, I read a lot of books on social media, hardcopy, online. I never get through them all .
I am huge fans of social media, specially Facebook.
thanks for sharing
Thank you Esther for your kind words. I appreciate your time and wish you good luck on your blogengage contest. See you around!
Michael,
Great article! Information overload was a huge obstacle for me in the beginning. Though it did help me to narrow down my focus because I was able to see what was a fit for me and what wasn’t.
Stacy
Hi Michael, very sound advice… all of it. The part that really rang a bell with me is the information overload part. When I started I read everything I could clap eyes on. Its best to start with one or two ideas and stick to it without high expectations. Mastering skills properly will eventually pay off. I am also with you on the ‘no BS’ part too! 🙂
Best
Jayne
Totally agree with you on having a mentor/coach.
One of the best things I did in my online career was to get coached by several experts. I’ve had around 5 coaches so far and they have all been worth it. (Well…except one!)
thanks for your comments Alan. I’m glad you’ve mentors who have impacted your life and business.
Hello,
A very interesting and useful post that I’ve enjoyed reading. It serves as a reminder why blogging social media promotion is vital and beneficial, if it’s done right.
Although mentorship is a must, not only to keep in line or in check with our blogging efforts, it is sometimes hard to find someone who will unconditionally offer their time…
Thank you! :0)
Thank you for this awesome comment. Happy New Year
I do have a point of information overload here. We know that it’s great that we should have lots of information going in our mind, but it would result to confusion and to become less focused on mastering one thing. We should take it slowly, master it before going into the next step. As internet marketers, we should avoid these pitfalls.
Dan Lew