New Social Media Marketer Tips (1) – Avoid These 3 Deadly Traps!

Would you agree with me that social media is a mixed blessing?

Simply put, if you uncovered the secrets of the social game and played the right cards in the right moment, you will make it big time. Otherwise, social media will be nothing but a frustrating experience and utter waste of time!

If you are new to the social scene, you need to avoid these 3 deadly traps at all costs:

1. Putting all your social eggs in one basket
2. Disregarding social media etiquette
3. Complicating the process

Social Media Deadly Trap 1: Putting All Your Social Eggs In One Basket!

“The only constant thing is change.” Can you see how this is so true when it comes to social media?

A few months ago, Facebook was hitting Google hard. Suddenly, the tables were turned and Google+ became the new big thing that is taking the internet by storm.

Recently, I came across a very thought-provoking article: The Night When Twitter Died. Interestingly, the article included an image of the Twitter bird’s grave in order to stress the point the author was trying to make. He believed that people will slowly,  but surely leave Twitter and run for G+.

“So far so good! Now, what’s in it for me?” an impatient social marketing newbie shouted!

Well, this super-lengthy introduction is a warning signal for you not to fall into the trap of putting all your social media eggs in one basket. In other words, you should balance and diversify your social presence from day one. This way; when the unthinkable happens and another today-hot social site becomes history tomorrow, you wouldn’t lose much.

Here are some tips to help you be better prepared for any surprises:

• Make sure to save your social network contact information in external databases.( By external, I mean any place outside of the social site itself. It could be your Google/Yahoo contacts list and so forth.You may offer the periodic backup of social network contact information as a paid service to your clients or teach them how to do it.
• Start with yourself then teach your clients the importance of building a community around your blog and turning it into your main social hub.In other words, your blog should include your best content and the other social media sites will be leveraged to showcase this content and drive traffic to your own blog.This way, you will hit two birds with one stone. On one hand, you will make sure to maintain your best content in one place. On the other hand, it’s a smart protective against any unpredictable surprises!

Social Media Deadly Trap 2: Disregarding Social Media Etiquette

Think of Social Media Etiquette as the DOs and DONTs of social media. It goes without saying that, as an absolute beginner, you must understand these rules before you kick off your social journey.

General Social Media Rules

• Avoid ultra-boring sales pitches at all costs
• Do Not broadcast! your brand message all the time. Instead, dedicate most of your social media time to listening and building relationships with people.
• Respect the “human” side of social media. Check out this article for more details: The “Thank You Economy”- Precious Lessons on Business Humanization
• If you want to standout in social media, learn how to innovate to dominate.

Site-specific Social Media Rules

Here’s a no-brainer tip: Before you start using social media sites, make sure you fully understand their user terms. If you overlook this step, you may be surprised that your account is suspended or even closed.

As for the unwritten taboos of social sites, these vary a great deal from one site to another but you can easily get a feel for what’s ok and what’s not by mere observation.

For example, while it’s ok to joke about your silly Halloween costume photo on Facebook or twitter, I wouldn’t recommend doing the same on LinkedIn due to its highly professional nature.

On the other hand, your overall SMM objective will dedicate which site you should be hanging on more frequently. In other words, if lead generation is your number one priority, Twitter and Facebook are the right places to be. But if you are after creating partnerships and joint ventures, LinkedIn would be more fitting.

It’s important to be “selective” about where you spend most of your social time, while maintaining balance and nurturing your blog as mentioned earlier.

As an added bonus, respecting social media etiquette will automatically boost your SEO. Find out how you can get the best of both worlds by clicking  here and here.

Social Media Deadly Trap 3: Complicating the Process

As Google is becoming a front player in the social media game, you can’t help but wonder: Who’s next?

Social media can be so overwhelming, especially for beginners. Your best bet of overcoming the complexity trap is to take your time and understand social media at your own pace. Focus on finding the right sites for you and your clients. Then, master their features and capabilities slowly, but surely.

Lucky for you, many social media tools (most of which are free) were designed to make your social media experience more rewarding and successful.

The following list includes excellent tools that we highly recommend:

• Tools For Social Engagement and Real-time Content Curation
• Tools For Corporate Branding and Social Commerce
• Great Tools For The Twitter Fanatics!
• SocialBase Platform For Integrating Social Media Team, Tasks and Tools
• Garious Social Updates Scheduling Tool

 

Are you a social media marketing newbie? Have you found the information presented here useful? Which tips are you planning to apply? What additional tips would you recommend? I look forward to your feedback. Thanks in advance for sharing!