What’s one of the biggest marketing mistake smalls businesses make?
Using tools they don’t understand.
No goals. No Strategy. No concept of how to measure results. They just toss tactics against the wall. And hope something sticks.
I see it ALL the time. With direct mail, email marketing, pay-per-click (Google AdWords), even business websites. And the biggest culprit of all? Social media.

The Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistake: Counting Quanity Over Quality

When social media first burst on the scene as low-cost communication medium with seemingly limitless potential, it was all about the number of followers you managed to rope in. The bigger your volume, the greater your reach.
But things have changed. Just as with every other advertising avenue, prospects are ignoring traditional marketing messages pumped out via social media channels.
The key to building your business with social media is building relationships. Not using social media as just one more one-way broadcast medium.
But how?
That’s the $1 million question, right?
Never fear, the answer is near!
Here are Four strategies to help you build one-to-one relationships with social media.

Share the Right Content for Your Audience (at the Right Time)

The secret ingredient in content marketing is the same ingredient for successful social media marketing.
You attract readers to your blog and subscribers to your newsletter by publishing content valuable to your target audience (AKA your “ideal client”).
The same goes with social media. What do your ideal clients (also your ideal followers) care about? The benefit your service provides to them (remember: It’s all about THEM – not you).
Social media has the added wrinkle of timing. It’s a simple fact that various groups of social media users are active at specific times.
I’ve heard countless theories and theorems and even read entire books about the “ideal time” to post updates. But the reality is: It all depends. Trial and error is the only way to determine the best time for your audience. So test, test and test some more!

Ask Questions

It’s the oldest copywriter’s trick in the book. Use a question as headline in an ad, brochure, blog post or social media post to capture your ideal prospects attention.
Everyone wants their voice heard. And questions naturally engage that desire. If you ask a relevant question, followers can’t help but respond.
It also involves your followers in the process and acknowledges the role they play in your business. They are participants in the cycle of your business.
That means you’ve to ask questions are relevant to the benefit your service provides to your followers (once again, it’s all about THEM – not you).

Give and then GET

When your followers respond, comment, share, Like, retweet, favorite, +1, etc…your social media updates – acknowledge their contribution.
Like or favorite their reply and reply to them. Post a comment or share a link on their Facebook or Google+ page or @reply to them on Twitter with a comment or relevant link.
The more you do so, the more your followers will respond (and the deeper into their network your content will penetrate).
It’s the basics of reciprocation. You gotta give to get.

Rinse & Repeat

Once you get your social media marketing campaign humming at a steady clip, keep it rolling.
Relationships are developed and nurtured over time. And once established, they require constant feeding a care. So keep posting steady stream of valuable content. And continue to engage with your followers.
If you take your foot off the gas – curtailing your posts and follower engagement to a trick (or even worse, cutting it off completely) – you’ll lose all the goodwill and social capital you’ve painstakingly built.
Think about it like this: What would you do if a trusted friend suddenly disappeared? It’s not a good feeling. And you’d likely question the nature of your relationship.
Yes, maintaining a social media marketing campaign takes time and effort. But if you stick with it, the rewards will justify the investment.

What About You?

Got a social media marketing strategy for your biz? What’s it look like? Any examples of how building relationships with social media has helped your business grow? Join the conversation and share your thoughts at my Google+ page.