The 3 most common mistakes small businesses make with social media (and what to do instead)
by Jeff Molander
Mucha Murapa of Matrix Global Media sat down with Jeff “Make Social Media Sell for You” Molander to find out the most common mistakes small business owners and marketers make with social media marketing—how to avoid them and what to do instead.
Listen in as Jeff reveals the Big 3 most common mistakes.
Here’s a look at the #1 mistake small business owners make with social media marketing.
#1 Marketing with social media
WHAT?!
That’s right, using social media to market your company is a sure-fire losing strategy. Instead, focus on solving customers’ problems with it in ways that you can easily connect to what it is you want to sell.
#2 Telling your ‘unique story’
(nobody cares!)
Jeff advises to avoid broadcasting on social media and resist telling customers all about your business, your “unique story.”
As it turns out customers don’t care about your culture, origins, how funny or “human” you are—not enough to earn a lead or sale. They care FIRST about their own problems or goals.
So make everything you do with social media answer questions (provide solutions) in ways that provoke a specific response from customers. This engages customers AND creates business leads—focused conversations that you can connect to your products and services.
#3 Listening with social media
Yes, listening and monitoring what customers are saying/thinking/experiencing about you is important. But what you do with what you hear is where most small businesses fail. It’s a common mistake to listen and then not act—or not know what to listen for.
Jeff says, “If you’re listening customers are always telling you what to blog about, post on Facebook about or what kind of YouTube video they want or need—they’re telling you what to do and where to do it with social media!”
In fact, by listening for fears, ambitions, goals and skills customers need to develop we now know what to be doing with social media—the problems we need to help customers solve or the experiences they’re craving samples of. This is fed back into the “social design” of your blog posts, ebooks, Facebook updates, LinkedIn Group discussions, etc. to create leads and sales—the easy way!
Act now!
Tune in as Jeff gives you tips to act on in this short, pithy podcast above.
“Ask yourself: Are you inviting your customers on a journey to get a problem solved or experience something in a powerful, new way… a journey that creates demand for what it is you’re selling?” says Jeff.
Have you ever found yourself staring into your browser or blog software saying to yourself, “what do I blog about?” Jeff has the cure for this pain too—and a way to eliminate it by turning social media into something that works for you (rather than the other way around!)
Instead, listen to your customers—listen for what it is that has them scared or concerned… or what they are yearning to accomplish… the goals or ambitions they have. THIS is what to blog about. These are the problems to solve and the way to avoid the most common mistakes small business owners make!
Jeff will show you a way to use these insights to your advantage and make social media sell for your small business. Tune in now by pressing play above or downloading!
About the Author
Jeff Molander+ is the authority on making social media sell. He's a sought-after corporate trainer to small businesses and global corporations like Brazil's Petrobras. He's an accomplished entrepreneur, having co-founded the Google Affiliate Network. Jeff also serves as adjunct digital marketing faculty at Loyola University’s school of business. His new book, Off The Hook Marketing: How to Make Social Media Sell for You, is first to offer businesses a clear, practical way to create leads and sales with technology platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs.
Comments
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I agree with you on all points except one, #2. I believe your “Unique Story” is important when it comes to customer trust. It is also an avenue to underscore your knowledge and expertise, building trust.
One must be creative when weaving their story into their business. Most importantly include your customers in the stories in some way. I have monitored our facebook page and our most viral posts are ones which are personal, tell a story, and most importantly, create a personal experience for the customer.
Once you have combined Trust, Entertainment, and Service [information, knowledge] through social media leads and sales will simply just happen. Your Customers are your biggest advocates, and word of mouth trumps all marketing. It’s Gold!
Thank you for the great article! Social Media awareness is sorely needed, especially in my industry.
Hi, John…
Thanks for your thoughts and compliments. I’m not sure that we disagree or not. My POV: You’ve got to be entertaining, be trustworthy, have a personality and such. That’s the bare minimum and so many businesses already have that! But why then isn’t social media selling for them? Or is it selling well enough?
I am saying (or trying to say) that a better way of netting leads and sales more often is to weave in stories/storytelling but to cease to believe that “sales will just happen” through the act of storytelling alone. In my experience—and in the experience of those small business owners and brands that I study—sales occur regularly and more easily as a result of a plan that puts problem-solving, behavior and response at the center (not emotions). In short, customers care more about their own needs than they do your story/personality.
Make sense?
For instance, I was touched by the story you told on Sunday 12/2 on your Facebook page. It got a lot of Likes so others were too. So what was the aim… the purpose? I realize that much of what we do on social media is experimental. Yet I suppose your aim was to relate your personal experience in a way that gives people some way of understanding who they’re dealing with. I see your charitable requests/posts there too. All fine and good.
My belief/experience is simply that “a constant stream” of these things and lots of sharing of them isn’t enough. Yes, it’s a way to engage and keep yourself “out there” and that’s valuable. All I’m suggesting is that there’s a wider plan (beyond entertainment and personality) that is designed to move customers in a particular direction—toward or away from your store. You’ve got to be entertaining, be trustworthy, have a personality and such. That’s the bare minimum and so many businesses already have that! But why then isn’t social media selling for them? Or is it selling well enough?
Thanks again for your feedback and critical thought!