When Your Customers Aren't Your Customers - Social Media Pitfalls
Jul 19, 2016
Social media. It’s the place to be. It’s where your audience can be found. And you damn well better be there, engaged with them.
But just remember this one little thing. When you gather together your audience on a social media platform – they really aren’t yours. They belong to the social media platform.
All that time, effort, energy and money you spend on attracting followers, garnering “Likes” – it can be taken away from you just like that.
With Facebook rewriting their algorithms, you have less ability to reach your own Followers with a post. You need to either pay for an ad – which still won’t get you in front of all your Followers – or you need to take it off Facebook and deliver that message through another channel.
And that kinda defeats the purpose of being on Facebook or any social media platform.
This isn’t something that many think of before jumping in with both feet. It’s social. Our audience is there, we should be too.
But social media isn’t a democracy. The owners decide that they need more ad revenue, they are going to make a decision that impacts your ability to reach your own audience via free/non-paid ad ways and means.
My Own Personal Social Media Pitfall
A few weeks ago, I posted on one of the LinkedIn Groups that, at the time, I was a member. LinkedIn Groups have their own leaders and their own laws/rules. And I screwed up – forgot that mentioning my own blog posts was considered “shameless self-promotion”.
Within an hour I received the “You’re outta here!” email – I had been kicked out, barred. And all those members of the group that I had hoped to engage with…maybe work with…out of my grasp. Unreachable through the very channel I had placed such high hopes in, and had invested some time, effort and energy.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining – I admit I broke the rule and the Group Leader had every right to banish me from their kingdom.
Are You Prepared For Your Own Social Media Pitfall?
So how up to speed are you on all the rules that impact you on all the social media platforms you operate on? What’s your plan for the worst case scenario – instant banishment? Or what about another change in the algorithm that means your posts reach fewer and fewer followers – can you hit your goals with an increase in ad spend on social media? Or are you shifting resources out of social media into avenues where you have more control?
Patrick McGraw is VP of Higher Educaton Marketing Services and has more than 25 years experience in market research, competitive intelligence, business intelligence including database marketing and CRM, strategic planning, brand development and management as well as operations/campaign management. His work has consistently helped his clients and employers develop and implement more efficient ways to attract and retain profitable customers, enter new markets and launch new products. His areas of focus include the education, hospitality, travel and tourism, hi-tech, telecommunications, financial services, and retail industries on both the agency and customer sides.
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