“Social media marketing just doesn’t work.” We hear different versions of this statement every month. To be sure, the business owners and marketing executives who meet with us know that someone is doing well on Facebook and LinkedIn. What they are saying is that they can’t imagine themselves having similar success.
Often, a bit of careful questioning reveals that the new clients in question have been following a set of outdated rules and tricks that just don’t work anymore (if they ever did). Today, we want to share a handful of them with you so that you can avoid making the same mistakes.
Let’s examine a handful of tactics that definitely don’t work when you’re trying to find customers and clients on social media…
Selling Through Direct Messages
Does this sound familiar? A new contact comes to you with a mutual colleague or friend. You let them into your network and then discover that they have sent you a few different solicitations for their product or service.
How do you feel when that happens? Does it make you want to work with them? Of course not. Your prospects don’t like that either, so don’t put this sleazy tactic to use.
Redirecting Followers to Unrelated Pages
This is a modern version of clickbait and it’s everywhere on social networks. Basically, it involves a marketer posting one kind of link or content to pull viewers in and then surprising them with something else.
Again, this isn’t a tactic you would want to fall for, so why spring it on potential customers? It’s certainly not going to draw them any closer to your company or make you seem like a trustworthy or respectable marketer.
Ripping Email Addresses
There are a lot of good ways to build up your email list, but this isn’t one of them. No matter how sure you might be that one of your social contacts wants to hear from you through email, you need to get their permission first. If you can’t get them to sign up for your newsletter by responding to an offer (as an example), then don’t email them at all.
Not only does ripping email addresses destroy trust, hit your credibility and come with the possibility of being fined, but it could also be illegal in some areas. It’s not worth it.
Constantly Promoting Ads
Amazingly, there are still a few business owners who haven’t figured out social media isn’t the place to stand on a soapbox and shout offers all day long.
It’s important to mix up your content with news, insights, customer case studies, and even behind-the-scenes looks at your employees and their work. In other words, don’t just post offers and coupon codes with every update. You’ll burn out your audience quickly and see your network dwindle to nothing.
So What Does Work on Social Platforms?
There is one proven and sustainable method to growing a buying audience on social media: treat the project as a slow burn, building interest and growing relationships as you go. Then, once you have a committed following of friends and fans, you slowly develop website visits and referrals that turn into new opportunities.
That proposed path might not be fast, and it certainly isn’t sexy, but it gets results. It’s also the strategy the most successful social media marketers use each and every year. Why waste your time with shortcuts when there is an easier proven path?
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If you’re following old playbooks and outdated advice, then it might be the case that you’re not getting the direction you need from your current creative team (or possibly you don’t have one at all). If so, we can help.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and see what we’ve been able to do for other companies just like yours.
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