Here is what you should fix:

1.  Pick your brand.
Which Social Media platform is right for you? All of them? Pick the platform that would reach your potential market with the highest numbers. I know the temptation is to utilize all of them. Pick your priority. For example, my author friend uses Twitter, Facebook, and Linked-IN; in that order, without thinking about the other platforms. Prioritize which is your best avenue and spend the majority of your time building that community first.

2.  Trust & Credibility.
Your Social Media Marketing campaign should put you in a position of expertise. Your community and followers should consider you the expert when it comes to your profession. Sometimes, this means that you teach, you tutor, or you advise. Once you establish yourself as an expert in your field, then it becomes easy to start converting visitors into prospects.

3.  Sales Process.
The biggest misconception about Social Media is that business owners attempt to build awareness and a following to their brand. Did you know that in 2014 only 29% of all Social Media Traffic follows a Brand? The purpose of your Social Media Marketing is about turning prospects and leads into customers.

4.  Engage.
Don’t just post because that is what you are supposed to do. Provide value to those who follow your brand. Also, remember to share their content that might be relevant to your community. They will recognize your efforts and will most likely return the favor. Remember, your fans and followers don’t want commercialized content, they want conversation.

5.  Automation.
Social Media automation is quickly becoming the frown of the market. Ever follow someone on Twitter and you receive an instant message directing you to their Facebook page for an additional Like? Your community will fast recognize this lazy behavior and drop you like yesterday’s garbage. Sincerity and interaction will go a lot farther than automation.

6.  Commitment.
You spend 10 minutes a day on Social Media. Now you ask why your Social Media Marketing is failing. Social Media is like a marriage. It takes time to nurture and grow. Spend as much time as necessary to engage and converse with as many people as possible about your expertise. Be prepared to do this a few times per day, including weekends. Don’t expect your list of fans, followers, and subscribers to grow overnight. This is a slow process.

7.  Content.
Your goal is quality not quantity. If your Twitter account has 100 followers but every post gets 8 “Favorites” and some Re-Tweets, you are in better shape than a page with 2,000 followers and zero Favorites and zero Re-Tweets. Remember the buzz word “conversation & engagement” the more of this you can promote the more your content will appeal.

8.  Follow your follower count.
A watched pot never boils, right? If this number isn’t increasing with time, you should take a good long look in the mirror and attempt to identify why they are leaving you. Is your content irrelevant? Is your content controversial? Is your content a poor indication of your industry? Can your community relate to your content? Tackle these hard self-defining questions and come up with changes that will bring your followers back to you.

9.  Safety.
Nobody has ever done it this way, why should you? You make your Social Media follow the norm because that’s how they all do it. Is this how you want to run your campaign? Stop playing it safe and take risks. There are 150,000 ways of utilizing Social Media Marketing. All of them were stumbled upon by people taking risks.

“If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted.” – Sir Francis Bacon

What Social Media Marketing mistakes have you made that have made the world of difference? 

Related Topic:  Why Instagram is Essential for Your Business Marketing Strategy

The post 9 Ways to Save Your FAILING Social Media Marketing Campaign appeared first on Fred Babadjanians.

In 2011, Instagram had fewer than 4.9 million users. In 2014, Instagram now boasts 200 million users. As a small business owner, or a new business owner, the thought of getting the attention of 200 million users might be overwhelming. Here are 4 tips to help you begin on your Instagram marketing strategy.

Hashtag. #Hashtags.
You can use hashtags in every Instagram post you create. Hashtags can be a very effective and efficient way to gain exposure. Unlike Twitter, you are not limited to the 140 characters per post. Include hashtags in your caption to allow your new post to be search accessible. (Don’t go hashtag crazy or you will seem desperate and people will fly over you…)

Make sure you include your business name in SOME of your posts. Example: I own Everlook Studios (Twitter: @EverlookStudios), my hashtags would reflect #EverlookStudios on some of my business posts. This strategy not only distinguishes your business posts, but it allows people to view all of your brand in one hashtag search.

Lastly, use general #hashtags to help people find your content. Example: I just created a new brand logo for a client – I will post it on my Instagram account and hashtag: #EverlookStudios #Logo #Branding

Engage.
This is a new buzz word in 2014. Every social media marketing strategy guide starts with the simple term – Engage. Go ahead, sit back, relax, and explore the wonderful world of Instagram by searching for #hashtags (see above). Take note of certain #hashtags that your industry businesses are using. Take note of what your customers and competition is using. See what they like, see what they post, take notes.

Find “experts” (Isn’t everyone a Social Media Expert these days???) in your specific industry and follow them. Engage in conversation with them. Like their photos. If your account comes off interesting or your engagement triggers a mutual interest make sure to engage in a conversation.

Use mentions to show appreciation to your followers, customers, friends, etc.

The majority of your posts should be made with your potential customer in mind. Post about your services. Post about what you sell. Post about your process. Make it worthwhile for a potential customer to follow you on Instagram.

Introduce your employees – this process not only gives the employee the recognition they most likely deserve, but it also humanizes your brand.

Inspire.
Post videos – Instagram has the ability to post short 15 second videos.
Post photos – People have a general curiosity of how things are made or a process of which something happens. Satisfy this need by posting photos of your process. Remember to #hashtag.
Show your creative process – Just the fact that you are on Instagram with your business is a start.
Share “behind-the-scenes” content – Use your Instagram account to share pictures of your process – Don’t post these specific pictures on any other social media site. Give the feeling of exclusivity to your followers.

Be true to your brand. Ensure that your photos and videos clearly define one attitude, personality, and vision for your brand.

Instagram Contests.
Use an Instagram Contest to spread the familiarity of your brand and reach a greater following. Instagram contests are popular because they are easy enough for people to participate in plus the reward to win the contest is usually well worth the time. (The prize of a contest is what gives people motivation to enter. It is the most essential part of your contest)

Example:
A business will post a picture of their newest product and make the following rules:
1) Repost this picture and tag it @ftwkreations and #ftwkreations
2) Make sure you follow @ftwkreations
3) Winner will be picked on xx/xx/2014

Include contest rules in the caption of your post. Promote your contest in as many Social Media markets as accessible.

The right prize, the right timing, the right time frame (length of contest) and the right market, your contest can go viral overnight!

Remember the ultimate advertisement is to promote your winner on your and your winners’ Instagram page. Give them the fame they deserve.

Bonus Tips.
Use Google Alerts – Monitor your campaign hashtag mentions by using Google Alerts.
Post consistently.
Determine the best times to post.
Constantly engage.
Stick to your brand.
Show your human side.

How do you use Instagram as a part of your Social Media Marketing Strategy? 

The post Why Instagram is Essential for Your Business Marketing Strategy appeared first on Fred Babadjanians.

You put your business ideas on hold because….. Well because you are busy! Everyone should understand how busy you really are!!

Why?
Really tackle the why. Why do you want to own your own business? Is it because you do not want to work for someone else? Is it because you want to make a difference? Is it because it seems like a good idea? Is it because you want to do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it?  This is the part of the process that I warn you about the time and commitment you would need to invest to make your new business a success.

Where?
Where is this business going to take place? In a retail store? In an office? In your living room? On the internet? It is critical to know what direction you are going to go with the business; even more, look ahead and also figure out where you would want to be in 2 years.

SIDE TIP: Get clients first. If you have clients lined up, it’s easier to justify the start of a new business and answer the Why.

With Who?
Who are you doing business with? Identify your partners. Identify your vendors. Identify your clients and shoppers. Identify your industry. Identify everyone who might have even a .01% chance to interact with your business. The more you identify now, the easier the plan becomes. Don’t do it alone.

Double Employment.
Some people will argue this point.  (They are the ones who have investors and financial backing to start a new business)  Start your business while you are still employed. It might takes a few months, a few few months, or a few years until your business actually makes a profit. Maintaining employment while you are starting your new business allows you to make money while you go through the process of becoming a CEO.

Business Plan.
On my first business startup, I didn’t believe in this process. What a waste of time. Who needs a business plan? If you Google business plan, it looks like a 30 page document of your business blues.

Enter second and third startups – business planned.

You need direction. You need deadlines. You need to be able to look at your business from a bird-eye-view. When you write all of the critical stages and your targets down it makes the goal more real. If you look at your notes and find you need to mail out 1,000 post cards by Monday – you might not plan that weekend get-a-way and actually work on Sunday.

SIDE TIP: Most people spend so much time dotting every “I” and crossing every “t” until their business plan is nearly perfect that they never have time to start the business. It all changes anyway – go ahead and jump in!

Logo.
A Logo will help distinguish your business (your new brand) from its competition. Be clever.
A Logo will help reach a specific audience and identify your new business. Understand your brand.
A Logo may convey the wrong message by using the wrong color. Color is big.
A Logo may consist of two characters. A word a symbol or both.  Choose wisely.
A Logo will take time to gain popularity. Keep it simple and easy. Recognition will come with time.

Go Get Customers!
Nothing else matters if you can’t do this. You will spend the majority of your time and effort focused on a sale or a sales process. Spend time (After business hours) working on your marketing process. Build your pipeline. Build your lead structure. Convert leads into prospects. Convert prospects into clients.

Create a list of leads that might be interested in your goods or service. This list should have 50-60 names with phone numbers. Start making calls and sell your business.  (I hope you have somewhere to write down the outcome of your calls and your newly formed appointment times)

Avoid the Headache Client. (Bonus Tip) 
Entrepreneur Magazine defines the Law of Discounting: The deeper the discount or the more generous the favor we give, the more unrealistic client’s demands will be. The clients who demand and continue to demand discounts will never be happy with your work. They are not worth the time and aggravation.

What are some tips you would like to share about starting your own business?

The post The TOP 7 Tips for Starting Your Own Business appeared first on Fred Babadjanians.