Avoiding mistakes with social media

Social media planning for your business: An endeavor often avoided, vastly misunderstood, and overall, quite daunting. But make no mistake, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, Google+, and the rest of the line-up shouldn't be approached carelessly when using them to represent your brand and communicate with customers. Companies that jump into the world of social media feet first, but without proper planning, can land in the social media snake pit faster than they can say "delete post." Here are some of the common mistakes made when developing a social media campaign, and ways to avoid falling into those traps.

1. No clear goal. When embarking on social media, the most important thing to ask before you act is: "What do I want to get out of this?" Nothing is worth your time if it doesn't deliver some sort of result, correct? Since it's difficult to measure the return on investment, you must figure out what matters to you most and cater your campaign to that. Maybe you want to drive customers to your Web site. Maybe you want to brand yourself or your company as an expert in a particular field. Think about what you look for from brands on Facebook and create realistic and measurable goals.

2. Lack of content. Facebook's algorithms dictate that the more you post and the richer your content is (videos, links, photos, etc.) the more likely you are to get to the top of the coveted News Feed and have your posts seen by the world. With Twitter, if you're not Tweeting regularly, followers become disinterested. Avoid losing your place in the social media lunch line by creating a posting calendar for your networks. Divide it up into days or weeks, whatever works for you, and make a list of different topics you can cover, set days you'll post photos, videos, and outside links, and even use programs like Hootsuite or BufferApp to schedule a batch of Tweets for the week to make sure you've got a regular flow of content.

3. No research on networks. This is a biggie. Not every business' audience is on every network. And you'd exhaust yourself trying to cover every base. Research where your target customers spend their time online. It might not be Facebook and Twitter. Bakeries can find a following on networks like Pinterest and YouTube. Financial advisors would have more luck creating a discussion on LinkedIn. Find out where you best fit and stick with that.

4. Underestimating ads. This applies mainly to Facebook. A Facebook page, all by itself, will not work for a smaller, lesser-known brand. Giving yourself a small budget and targeting your ideal audience via Facebook ads gives you an opportunity to present your page to only those it might appeal to, and incentivize them to become fans. It allows you to reach a wider audience of potential clients and conversation leaders.

5. Talking at and not to. Social media isn't a billboard. People use the platforms to create meaningful conversation with others. Don't embark on social media communication by doing nothing but telling your audience to buy your book, eat at your restaurant, or listen to your advice. The best rule to remember is this: 80/20. Eighty percent of your content should be about outside subjects, such as other businesses, topics in the news, or happenings in your area. Twenty percent of your content should directly promote you, but always with a hint of personality and a knack for relating to your customer.

6. Not measuring. This brings us back around to point number one. If you have goals set, after you embark on your social media journey, it is important to make sure you're meeting those goals. There are a number of free measurement tools out there, including Trackur and SocialMention. Other in-depth platforms will analyze the reach and effect of campaigns and deliver well organized reports. These programs range in price from an average of $50 per month to upwards of $5,000 per month. But remember, Facebook has free analytics built into it, so utilize those as much as possible.

Abbi Whitaker, is president of The Abbi Agency. Contact her through www.abbipr.com.