Social media for small businesses can be an essential part of your marketing efforts, and in 2021 there is no denying that social media has really changed how people digest information online. However, there are also many issues for small businesses regarding using social media, and if you know the pitfalls, you can avoid them as much as possible.
Common Pitfalls of Social Media Marketing You Need to Know
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Social media isn’t built for business
The simple fact is that social media isn’t built at all for business. It is for people to connect on a more personal level. While many businesses successfully use social media, knowing this will help you out. Facebook especially is more likely to hide your posts from your business page than your personal profile. That’s a fact.
Not all feedback is good
Social media has made it really easy to reach people, which is great for businesses of all sizes. However, it has made it even easier for people to share their thoughts on said businesses. Chances are if someone is pushed to leave feedback, it will be negative. More people share their bad experiences over their good ones, which can be damaging, especially false.
Ads Rule
Ads are the main feature. How many ads do you see when scrolling through your social media accounts?
Much with anything online, you can beat the algorithm by purchasing ads to be pushed in front of like-minded users whose behaviour online indicates that they are interested in your company.
Great, you might think. Until you realize that the more ads you push, the smaller the benefits, and before long, you are paying more money for that same hit you achieved with your first few ads. And as a consequence, non-ad posts will suffer unless you throw money at the problem.
People can block you
Social media isn’t free for all. You cannot invade someone’s online personal space, so to speak, without their permission. And if they revoke permission, then you can end up blocked.
From an algorithm point of view, if someone chooses to hide your posts on Facebook, this will have a bigger impact than someone liking a post. It is possible for you to search for how to know if someone blocked you. However, it isn’t possible to reverse that damage or force them to change their minds once they have done so.
It is time-consuming
Organic reach is almost dead on both Facebook and Instagram unless you have already built up a massive, engaged following over time.
Sure, you might hit lucky on a viral post or use of a hashtag on Instagram, but it will be for nothing unless you can effectively reproduce this. Ads are the main way platforms make money, so it stands to reason they want you to buy ads.
Creating content that could go viral or even reach a small percentage of your followers takes time and dedication. And time costs money, meaning if you can’t dedicate this yourself, you need to be paying for an employee or third party to do it for you, further impacting your profits.
