- The biggest social media crime you can commit is using a platform simply to promote yourself.
- Outsourcing your handwritten notes is not an option.
- Attach unique codes to your paper flyers to combine an old-school and digital method.
Jordan Scheltgen and Justin Kerby dive into five faux pas that will damage your marketing efforts this year.
1. Not being social on social media
The biggest social media crime you can commit is using a platform simply to promote yourself.
The two industries with the least amount of social media interaction include marketing, and the real estate industry. Why? These groups are always trying to sell their services.
Would you walk into a dinner party and shout, “I’ve got three beds, two baths!”? Are you reading this as someone who only posts photos of their listings on Facebook?
Get off your soapbox, and starting having conversations instead.
2. Cheap digital outsourcing
You can’t pay $29 month to have a company take care of your social media posting and expect the world in return. You’re going to be disappointed.
Don’t outsource; post for yourself.
If you don’t know how, read up, teach yourself, use the tools learn the stuff. It doesn’t have to take up your whole day. Dedicate an hour a week, use a scheduler like Buffer or Hootsuite — and bam, you’re done.
3. Faking your handwritten notes
Take the time to write out 100 to 150 real handwritten notes. Not the kind you have a company write for you and print out.
Handwritten notes give your clients the warm and fuzzies. Did you get an e-card from a business over Christmas? How did that make you feel?
4. Bcc’ing your mass emails
Switch to MailChimp or another e-newsletter distributer instead of using Gmail, Hotmail or Outlook and bcc’ing your mass emails.
The newsletter services make your emails a lot prettier, allow people to unsubscribe or subscribe and give you analytics to make informed decisions.
5. Sending out flyers without trackers
Today, you don’t have to send a paper flyer out and hope you get a phone call from it. If you attach unique codes to your flyers, prospects can enter the code online, and you can see which homes and ZIP codes actually picked up your promotion.
Jordan Scheltgen is the founder of Cave Social. You can follow him on Twitter @cavejordans or connect with him on Facebook.
