5 reasons many Businesses fail in social media

Below are five reasons many Businesses fail in social media and how you can turn it around:

1. You have no plan. Social media is one tool in your marketing toolbox. Make sure you create your strategy BEFORE you try to implement one. Schedule time every morning and evening to devote to social media. 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon/evening. If you don’t have a plan – it will take you twice as long!

2. You don’t have great content. This is a biggie. If you’re finding it difficult to engage people through social media, then it may be a sign that you’re not giving them enough to engage with. It doesn’t matter how likable, charismatic or helpful you are, if you’re posting things of little interest, no one is going to care about the content OR your brand. Where to get good content?

3. You put the wrong person in charge. Social media is not something you can delegate 100% as a business owner. You can delegate some of it – but the personal interaction that makes social media work, has to come from you. Owners that tend to do well are the ones that are personable, humble, and that genuinely enjoy talking to people and being social. If that person is not you then you may have a difficult time attracting fans or followers. Consider hiring someone to help you, whether it’s an assistant or intern.

4. You’re not listening. There are two different kinds of businesses in social media. Those that listen, and those that pitch their business. Businesses who engage in the latter typically have a difficult time gaining traction. While you can definitely use social media to target new clients and pitch your products and services, you have to develop a relationship with your fans and followers first. Facebook Pages that succeed are the ones who are able to integrate personal interactions and also offer them something they’re actually interested in (i.e. community events, local school info, market stats, etc.) – and they do so on a consistent, daily basis. They can offer that info that because they’ve listened. That’s the power of social media

5. You’re just ‘dabbling’ with it. If you spent $5 on a newspaper ad and saw no return, you wouldn’t be surprised. However, we all know that most newspaper can run a lot more than this. If you spend nothing on social media, then you’re going to see the same return. And that’s where many businesses are right now – they’re ‘dabbling’ or ‘experimenting’ in social media, but they’re not dedicating any resources to it. They’re not investing their time to learn, to keep up with what’s new, and they’re not paying for tools that will help them monitor and benchmark what they’re doing. Just like with anyone else, the investment you put in is going to dictate the value you get out of it. Businesses who ‘dabble’, should expect to get dabbling results.

Do you use Social Media sites in your business

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs are the "new" marketing stategy for a lot of businesses these days. Do you use these in marketing your business?

A recent study found that respondents report that the #1 benefit of social media marketing is gaining attention for the business, or “the all-important eyeball.” The majority of marketers say they have undertaken social media activities for this reason and they appear to be paying off: Some 81% of all marketers indicate that their social media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses. Improving traffic and growing marketing lists is the second major benefit, according to the study, followed by building new partnerships. At least two in three participants found that increased traffic occurred with as little as 6 hours a week invested in social media marketing, while those who have been doing this for years reported better results. Owners of small businesses (2 - 100 employees) are more likely than others to report benefits.

The study also found more than half of participants reported that a major benefit of social media marketing is the resultant rise in search engine rankings that often comes with increased efforts. Improved search engine rankings were most prevalent among those who’ve been using social media for years, with nearly 80% reporting a rise.

Though about one in two found social media generated qualified leads, only about one in three said social media marketing helped close business, though this percentage was higher (61.6%) among those who had been using social media for longer periods of time.

In terms of reducing overall marketing expenses, a significant percentage of participants strongly agree that marketing costs dropped when social media marketing was implemented. Sole proprietors were more likely than others to see reductions in marketing costs when using social media marketing.

So are you going to jump on the "bandwagon"? Give us your thoughts