3 Big Dangers of Social Media Marketing

There are 3 BIG DANGERS of Social Media Marketing

Social Media is a great online outlet to let the world know what your business is up to, what your new products and services are, how to contact you, and how to stay top of mind, but there are 3 big dangers you need to be aware of as business owner. The number one reason you use social media marketing is to get new customers and grow your business, right? Of course it is.

So, what’s dangerous about that?

The answer is nothing life threatening, and if you’re posting regularly on social media, good for you because you should be. And if that’s all your doing then keep doing it, because it’s better than doing nothing at all!

  1. The First Big Danger of social media marketing –

    • 95% of business are using it wrong, and it’s not your fault. Most marketing companies and marketing agencies in Lexington, KY and around the country don’t’ teach businesses to use Social Media the right way, because they simply don’t know themselves.
  2. The Second Big Danger of social media marketing –

    • It’s too easy to use therefore you are skipping important steps. This too is not your fault. Social Media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. make it so easy for you to share with them first before doing anything else. With a simple push of a button from your phone your business message is out and your waiting for your first “like” notification. Again, you’re probably thinking, what the problem with that?
  3. The Third Big Danger of social media marketing –

    • You don’t own your business page or your friends connected to that page. Your business page is an asset, but it’s not your asset. It’s Facebook’s, etc. At any moment your business page could be terminated. One little mistake, or violation and poof, all of the likes, reviews, and content you’ve created over the past few years are gone forever. Yes, this happens more than you know.

Here’s a real-life example of an email we received from a local company who had this exact problem:

Disclosure:
Any identifying information was removed to protect the privacy of the company who sent this email.

—–Email Subject:
SOS, We Need Your Help!Email Body:
EMERGENCY WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Dear Fellow Clients,

Our Company is in a state of emergency in terms of advertising and we need your help!

A bulk of our advertising has been on FACEBOOK by the means of posting on our page, running paid ads, having followers, likes, and shares.

Facebook took down our business page and personal page. This means we cannot login and advertise on Facebook and reach the people we were reaching.

We are asking all of you, to please share this email with friends and clients you might know are looking to buy and please share on Facebook!

In the meantime, we are talking with Facebook to remedy the problem.

Thank you all!

Company Name

—–

That’s a pretty scary example isn’t it? Imagine if that happened to your business. What would you do? Would your business survive?

The Solution is Easier Than You May Think

So how do you avoid these 3 Big Social Media Marketing Dangers, so your business can still utilize the awesome power and reach of social media the RIGHT WAY? First, recognize that in any business, the foolproof way to grow is probably not by using the cheapest and easiest marketing method, i.e. social media to “spread the word” of your business. Remember, your social media page is not your asset.

The #1 online asset you do own however, is YOUR WEBSITE. Everything you plan to share on social media should go on your website first and then you can share that content through all your social media channels. Your posts should then create the interest and attention needed to invite your social media “friends” back to your website. This generates very important inbound traffic to your website. Your website should then capture leads, generate calls, and convert visitors into new customers.

Of course, you want more “likes” on a picture or post that your business shares. More “likes” and “shares” feel great. We all want them, but as a business owner trying to grow, you probably already figured out that more likes don’t directly equal more revenue. In fact, I bet most of the likes that you get on your posts are from family and friends who love you and want to support you by giving you a “thumbs up.” That’s ok!

When you’re ready to start building the online value of your website first and THEN using social media marketing to support that asset, give us a call, we can definitely help.

Written By

Brian Evans – President

Contact BT Web Group for all your Digital Marketing and Web Design needs. We’re located in Lexington, KY

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