Are You Contributing to the Noise? How Not to Abuse Social Media Marketing
We’re all familiar with the small businesses, musicians or Eddie Entrepreneurs who use their Facebook pages as an endless source of spam and harassment. Or, maybe your Twitter timeline is filled with 46 consecutive tweets from Frilly’s FroYo stand? And then, you log into Gmail only to find that Bojo’s Coffee and Café has sent you 17 emails in the last two hours. Social Media abuse is a growing concern in the 21st century. We can hardly sift through the clutter and advertisements on Facebook to get to things we actually want to read. Something has to be done. Changing the Name of Advertising Social Media makes advertising easy to do for anyone. You can target a specific audience, connect over a common interest or find a certain niche. It’s free and easy to use, making social media an unprecedented outlet for advertising. It’s completely changed the way that many companies approach marketing and advertising. The problem? It’s easy to take advantage of. It’s way too easy to spam people’s walls, news feeds, or timelines. Sure, companies want to get their names out there, but there has to be a better way to do it, while still respecting social media and its use by others, right? Absolutely right. You want your digital brand to come across as personable but professional, reliable but unpredictable, respectful but assertive. Your digital presence reflects the way people think of your business, so you can’t afford to turn potential customers away. How to Use Social Media to Your Benefit Instead of spamming people with your ads and personal promotion, try running contests through Facebook, Twitter or email. Encourage consumer response, offer them a benefit for engaging with your brand and show that you’re willing to have fun. If you run a costume shop, have people upload pictures of their favorite Halloween costumes over the years, then give the winner a coupon or gift card to jump start their getup at your shop this year. Those types of promotions get customers involved and interested without spamming them. Keep your site updated and informational, have fun with your posts and try not to overload anyone’s social media experience. You’ll stand out from all the Pushy Pennys in a way your potential customers will remember.
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