On this series of posts I am identifying social media mistakes business owners make and offering a recommended fix. Scroll to the bottom to check previous posts.
Mistake - You think likes will equal dollars in your bank account.
I heard it again just the other day. “I posted a holiday special and 40 people liked my post, but nobody bought it.”
Social media users are told over and over by nearly everyone that they need to cultivate likes or comments for social media success and that success will translate into money in your bank.
I am here to tell you that is hogwash. The theory behind this is that engagement equals purchases and that is bad math. Your friends like your posts because they feel obligated and because they do believe they are helping you by clicking the like/favorite button (If they really wanted to help you they would click share/retweet instead).
A like is nothing more than an acknowledgement that someone saw your post. Many people use the like/favorite as a way to get you to notice them and pay attention to what they are doing.
Comments are a little trickier. If you are asking for feedback for your business they can be very helpful. Generally most comments come in the form of: “Cool”, “Nice picture” or “Good job”. These may be good for your ego but they will not put money in your bank account.
Now I know you might be thinking that an engaged follower is more likely to buy when the opportunity is presented because they are used to taking action. That is only slightly true. Likes and comments do not require any commitment so when you ask for a commitment of money, your engaged follower does not take new action to buy -- they continue with a like or a comment.
How do you overcome your followers’ likeitis? Write your posts with a clear call to action such as clicking to your website for more information or subscribing to your newsletter. You might even ask them to buy your product or service (gasp!). Instead of a photo with the text “Here I am at XYZ networking event.” post the photo with the text “Here I am at XYZ networking event. Find out how you can be at the next one at www.xyzevent.com”
Until next time…
Have a great day,
Susanne
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Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 1
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 2
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 3
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 4
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 5
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 6
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 7
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 8
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 9
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 10
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 11
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 12
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 13
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 14
Biggest Social Media Mistakes Business Owners Make - Part 15