Blog post by Farrah Holder, CEO of ThinkNXT Marketing Group                                        

Social media can do wonders for your business and it’s a great resource to start a campaign. But like everything you do there are many mistakes that can be made. Managing your businesses social media is a lot different than managing your personal accounts. This is the engine that drives people to your website and helps you generate revenue. Here are a few best practices when it comes to managing your spot in the social media space.

Business and personal accounts should be separated. You can have fun and share the human side of your company without sharing too much information. There are exceptions for example, if you’re doing something charitable and want to promote the cause you are working with. Remember even though you are proud of your costume at  Halloween, your customers may not.  You have a happy medium of posts that spark conversation; it is just like Goldilocks (This post feels just right).

The biggest myth in social media is that more likes equals more sales. You have to think of it as quality not quantity. We would all love to be John Cena (15,000,000+ followers) or Lady Gaga (59,000,000+ followers), but if the goal is to turn your followers into customers. And turn your customers into advocates; you can deal with 100 QUALITY Followers who are engaged and active in sharing your social media messages. As it was mentioned earlier, think quality not quantity.

Lastly, take a look at what you are posting. Remember, you have been on the customer side of the keyboard a lot longer than you have been on your side. Think of what would attract you to act on a post. Is the brand messaging clear, does the post make sense. Does it have errors (Spelling, Grammatical, etc.) Your potential customers and competitors are on social media hunting for mistakes and love to point them out. Just as in school, take a second to double check your work before you hit “send”.

These are a few best practices that can help you in the “land that is Social Media” people are talking about and looking for you whether you realize it or not. Your brand is extending farther than you ever imagines it could go with Social Media, treat it the way that you want others to treat it.

Guest Blog post by Terry Boddie, Agency Liaison Director at Marketing Media Management

Everyone wants to reduce their mistakes, especially business mistakes. Keeping a record of online marketing is difficult because it is easy to make mistakes. There are so many details it is easy to look over critical information.

A solid business plan is one of the best tools a business owner can have. A solid business plan can be used like a treasure map. It can guide you to success. When you share your business plan with your employees, they know the end of the journey. All online marketing plans should have a final goal of reaching success.

The next big decision business owners have to make is deciding on which social media outlet to use. Having an Instagram or Facebook does not automatically equal success. Your core customer base might not be familiar with the most popular social mediums. Business owners need to find a way to relate to their customers. Find out the dynamics of your customer demographic. Most people searching for a particular product have common interest. Find out their interest and you will be able to choose a media outlet that is popular with the customers you wish to attract. Become an expert in that form of social media and engage in thoughtful conversations with your customers.

In order to reduce mistakes in the business world, follow this helpful information. Perfect your online marketing and social media presence. Finding the right social media presence and becoming an expert in online marketing can be difficult, but with a commitment to success, your company will succeed.