Even though social media marketing has become common in the business community, much of it can be misleading. Simply engaging with social media followers is not good enough to generate leads, as you need to spend quality time with people to win their loyalty.
Here are ways of overcoming the disadvantages of social media marketing.
Time Factor
One of the main problems with social media is that in order to be effective, plenty of time must be spent on the platform. For some companies that use social media as a form of customer service, a 24/7 team is needed to stay up-to-date with social media queries. Hiring an experienced inbound marketing team that specializes in social media can be more productive than using in-house staff that is better off staying focused on regular day-to-day activities.
It's important to remember that your profile must be updated on a daily basis for it to attract attention. Someone who is just posting mediocre content for the sake of staying current isn't really providing a strong strategy to generate leads. The content must be varied and include eye-catching images.
Lost Productivity
When a company uses in-house workers to spend time on social media, it can cut into the time that could have been used more productively. Even though social media can be helpful for generating leads, without a clear marketing strategy, it's possible to throw precious time away. An effective social media strategy comes from a professional outsourced team or a marketing manager who understands web trends.
Public Image
A social media profile requires constant policing to make sure it is not being abused by intruders who have access to it. Some people "troll" profiles just to leave negative comments for fun, creating confusion over intent while hurting the company's public image. Some comments are simply irrelevant or disruptive and need to be deleted instead of taken seriously.
Someone needs to regularly proofread and edit the content on a social media profile. The content needs to be consistent and mixed with surprises. One of the keys to dealing with the disadvantages of social media marketing is to compare your profile with competitors.
Identity Theft
A social media platform invites fake accounts and identity theft of users. It's fairly common for someone to steal someone's name and image on Facebook and create a fake account. It's possible to mix up accounts and waste time sharing information with hackers or imposters. Sometimes it's necessary to delete followers that appear to be suspicious.
Human Interaction
Ultimately, relationships need to be nurtured on a human face-to-face level to be most effective. Relying too much on social media communication may not always be the best way to build long-term relationships. While social media is useful for answering specific questions, it's not the best platform for discussing issues in detail. Actual meetings at your office are the best way to solidify a relationship.
In order to overcome these disadvantages of social media marketing, a well-thought-out marketing strategy must be envisioned. Relying on the expertise of a social media marketing company will help you avoid the pitfalls so many beginners find themselves struggling to climb out of. Not only that, but the amount of time and money saved by not managing your own social media campaign can be used for other business-related expenses.
