Inbound Marketing Blog

Facebook, like every other social media platform, is always evolving. Most recently (rolled out in summer 2017), they updated some key components in their news feed algorithm. If you’re one of the millions that noticed a recent change in your Facebook News Feed, you may have had the initial reaction I did, which was annoyance.

“I’ve seen all of these already… days ago, because they’re a WEEK old. Why am I seeing them again?”

Okay, I know that sounds petty when it’s written out, but isn’t that how social media has wired us now? We want to see the most recent news, not week-old news.

After doing more research, I realized that Facebook actually did something right.

Social media is an incredible tool that allows you to connect instantaneously with users all over the world in the blink of the eye. Increasingly, businesses are utilizing social media as a way to connect with clients and prospects. However, what many professionals don't realize is: it’s all too easy to commit social media taboos and not even know it!

Why does this matter? Because, believe it or not, you can be penalized, or receive flak or kickback from these, and you definitely want to avoid that. Read on to discover six of the most common taboos we've identified that can harm you.

It is no longer an option for businesses to ignore social media platforms. Each platform has a unique audience of users, and with each audience you may get different levels of engagement - so don't assume that failing to reach one audience means you'll fail to reach any audience on social. We use several social media platforms at Tribute Media. They are all used for different reasons and they all have their own culture while still maintaining our brand. The trick to using it successfully is to know who your target audience is and how they are using each platform. 

Pinterest is a stand-alone visual social network built around engaging visual content. Users share images from the web by “pinning” them on to a series of virtual boards. These images then (when clicked on) lead to a web page away from Pinterest. That's where it becomes beneficial for your company. If you can catch a lead from Pinterest through an image, title, and short description - you've got the opportunity to direct them to your website. 

Imagine, if you will, an office where everything is gray; the chairs, the walls, the floor. The employees are all similarly dressed in gray tones as well. There are no expressions on their faces and their voices are monotone. It’s cold and robotic. 

Now think about the last time you were on a business’s social media page or reading one of their blogs. Was it fun and personable or was it drab and gray? It is surprising how many businesses are still following this no-personality, all-business persona. Maybe it's because they are afraid they'll be perceived as unprofessional, or maybe they just don't have the right person managing their web marketing and social media accounts, either way, they are failing to engage their audience.

If you are one of these businesses, then it is definitely time to rethink your company’s image.

Email marketing and social media may serve different purposes in your overall marketing strategy, but when it comes to lead generation, one comes out on top: Email marketing.

Both are beneficial and critical to any marketing campaign, but once you get a grip on the differences, you’ll get a better feel for how you should be utilizing email and social media in your campaigns to gain a higher ROI.

(

Executing an advertising campaign using any medium can be significantly challenging. The question of whom to target, how to target them, and what message to convey can sometimes leave an advertiser with too many questions to handle. As the inherent nature of the online community is to be wary of promotions or messages on the Internet, it makes the task of delivering the communication even more challenging for the online marketer.

• Categorize posts
• Gather attention
• Drive conversions
• Harness the power of popular topics on social media sites

Once, I was sitting in on a marketing class (that I had admittedly not signed up for), listening to a professor give a lecture on social media and the impact it has on society and the business world. About 40 minutes into the lecture, an older student raised his hand and said, "Everyone knows that social media is just for millennials. How can it possibly be useful for businesses?"

The professor, who was in his early 60s, replied, "Is it? Then why do I have ads popping up on my news feed targeted at old balding men like me?"

With a social media platform for every niche, seemingly everybody is on social media in some form these days. So, it makes sense that you would want your business to take advantage of these worldwide mass audiences, right? Easier said than done. Sure, you could create a page on Facebook and cross your fingers. But that isn’t going to do you any favors if your target audience isn’t there. It’s all about knowing your clients and targeting your best prospects. Who are they? Where are they? What do they do?

For the first several years from the advent of social media, businesses could take advantage of a HUGE audience to peddle their wares and promote their offerings FOR FREE. Could it be too good to be true?!?!

In short: yes.

I would never suggest that Facebook used shady crack dealer tactics to get people hooked and then start charging. However, at some point, someone (besides venture capitalists who--surprise, surprise--actually wanted to turn a profit someday) had to start paying the salaries of the smart, hardworking people of Facebook if we all wanted to keep using it to connect with friends, family, communities and to reach wide audiences as businesses.