Every small business should be using social media as a part of its online marketing plan. Social media can help you connect to and engage with your target demographic like nothing else, and if used correctly, can help you build your brand and your revenue. However, social media can also cause more problems for your small business than expected. Here are 5 common online marketing problems with social media and how you can solve them.
1) It’s a lot of time to dedicate
It is a very true reality that online marketing and social media take time, which usually means something else has to take a back seat. Since social media needs a certain amount of dedication in order to be effective, there are a few ways to manage that commitment. One solution is to focus on one platform at a time and be really engaging on that one, rather than spreading yourself thin on multiple platforms. You could also set a time limit for marketing activities so your plans don’t drift and create a schedule of new posts so you always have continuous content to distribute.
2) You don’t have the staff to spare
The majority of small businesses just don’t have an extra employee to dedicate to online marketing and social media plans. Since having someone dedicated to these tasks is important, you could delegate social media chores to various employees throughout the company make it the responsibility of the advertising or PR team.
3) Much effort and little reward
Unless your online marketing efforts take off exponentially with thousands of followers who are engaged with your company and products, it can be very discouraging when you invest a lot of effort and feel as if you’re not reaping the rewards of social media. To overcome this, treat social networks the same way you would any other communication channel with long-term plans in mind. Not everything will come fast—know your long-term goal and strive for that instead.
4) It was supposed to be easy
A properly executed online marketing strategy takes more effort than people often think. Not only do you have to remain engaging with your followers, but you also have to provide relevant and unique content so they will keep following your business and help you grow your client base. In order to keep your content fresh, use real-life stories to drive conversations and always make brand loyalty and sincerity your #1 goal.
5) PR risks are a concern
Sometimes small businesses are turned off by social media and online marketing because of the public relation risks that are associated with opening up conversations with their clients. Although when committing to social media you are opening up your company to scrutiny, the best solution is to tackle customer concerns head on in the same environment and not to take it offline. Since social media drives engagement, engagement also drives loyalty and correlates with increased sales. A solid return on relationship means a return on investment.
Looking for a quick way to solve all of these problems? Give us a call at WordJack Media, and we’ll give you your very own marketing specialist who can take care of all of these tasks for you. It will save you time, it will save you money, and you’ll start to see results before you know it!
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WordJack Media provides a wide range of website design and online marketing solutions to clients throughout Canada and the US, including Collingwood ON, Ottawa ON, Barrie ON, Miami FL, Lakeland FL, Orlando FL, Charlotte NC, Hickory NC, Asheville NC and more. Contact WordJack Media today for more information about how we can help your business win on the web!
