6 Common Social Media Mistakes Exhibitors Make
Social media networking tools will get you far in marketing your business, but when it comes to trade shows and face to face marketing, companies often either under-utilize it or use it in ways that might actually hurt them. There are many reasons why companies will often leave this up to the same markets that handle their search engine work, such as an ecommerce seo consultant as one example. Here are seven easily preventable social media mistakes that could harm your brand.
1) Making it a Gimmick or Simply Another Means to Convey Your Message
A lot of businesses turn to social media because it’s chic and “the thing to do.” and with good reason, if you looked at stats from websites similar to BroadbandSearch you get a better perspective for the potential reach social media can have. When choosing to use social media as a strategy, ensure that your tactics line up with your ultimate objectives. If a major social media presence doesn’t make sense in your campaign, don’t feel pressured to have one just because it’s popular-especially if your time and resources are better spent elsewhere. But if your company intends to present itself as cutting-edge thinkers, you may want to develop a Twitter account and devote your resources to gathering followers and sending out information.
2) Not Seeking and Thanking Your Champions
Photo by Desi
Look on forums and blogs and see who are talking about your business. Be sure to thank them personally. A little encouragement can be extremely motivating in sharing your company with their peers.
3) Not Having a Clear Strategy for Attracting Followers
A goal of gaining 200 Twitter followers is too open; who do you specifically want to attract? If your intended audience is 50 CEO’s at Internet start-ups, you’ll not only create a measurable goal, you’ll have much more specific content.
4) Ignoring Bloggers at Your Trade Show
A post from a blogger is far more instantaneous than a print-write up. Readers of their blog may be at your show and drop by to see your demo in person. Even if a blogger has a small following, their 15-20 followers may be from your target market.
5) Not Repurposing Content
Social media is a way to let your booth live on well after the show. You can post videos of customers trying your demo and photos from the event will also liven up your blog posts.
6) Being Too Focused on the Medium
Photo by Steve Garfield
Don’t follow attendees on social media platforms and attempt to lure them to your booth to sign up for a chance to win a new iPad. Instead, engage them in a conversation and listen to them. Respond to their questions. Invite them to your booth if what they’re looking for relates to what you have to offer. If you find that you can’t engage your audience, you might want to look into something like Kenji, a social media automation tool – click to learn how KENJI works. If you are interested in blogging it helps to have the right tools to bring your thoughts to your audience. Having a website that you can control may be what you are looking for, especially if you want to write about your experiences and keep up to date with your audience on social media – see https://www.hostiserver.com/ for an example of a web hosting provider that may be able to cater to your needs.
Have any other suggestions? Feel free to post them below!
Featured image by woeterhexe
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