Poker is a game of skill, chance, and luck.
The key element that sets it apart is the ability to bluff your opponents, regardless of the cards you're dealt.
So you're not always playing the cards in your hand. You're playing your opponents.
Anytime they say or do something unexpected, they're possibly giving you hints about their cards. This tell is usually involuntary, but it can clue you in to what cards they're really holding.
If you're experienced enough, then you can pick up on these quickly and know exactly what type of player you're up against.
The same is true online. There are certain "tells" that aren't obvious to most. But if you know where to look, you can quickly uncover the truth.
Here are three social media mistakes that could make you look like a rookie.
The careful coordination of your activities will give you much better return in the long-run. So before doing anything, you need to start with an overarching goal. The one you pick will act as an anchor that brings order from chaos. And it will simplify your decision making when you need to choose between conflicting options.
Typically, there are three primary ways to use social media:
So get in the habit of running marketing campaigns that build off each other. When you string enough of these micro decisions together, you'll start to get some momentum. But only if the next one builds off the last.
And focusing on higher leverage tactics, like business development, is a much better use of your time. Because you're investing in one campaign that will give you multiple returns (Content + SEO + Social).
You have do a lot of experimenting, and failing before you find what really works well.
So when you do find successful tactics, try to make them as "repeatable" as possible.
Obviously this helps to manage your customer's expectations. But it goes deeper than that.
When you have repeatable tactics, you can start to estimate and forecast potential results.
For example, if "X" tactic gets you between 200-300 visits each week, and that traffic converts at "Y"%, then you will make $"Z".
You'll immediately uncover the areas you need to address to increase sales (bring in more customers and/or increase conversions). And you'll know how much you can invest to achieve or improve your results. Like start advertising or hire extra staff to scale these tactics for you.
If you have to invest $50 or one hour to get 100 visits, then think about how you can make that process more efficient and squeeze out a little more, for a little less.
And you'll start to see that you really don't need 10 different tactics or to be on every single social network.
You just need a few that are performing well, with possible room to grow. And you can focus your energy on doing more with less.
Because people need to trust you before they're going to buy anything.
And blog comments aren't the only form of engagement. Look a little deeper, and see if people are engaged with your online presence:
Research!
Demographic information only gets you so far. Online, you need to understand what makes them take action or freeze up when it's time to buy.
And many times your online audience will be different from your loyal, past customers. (The "curse of knowledge" prevents us from seeing the obvious.) Last year I surveyed a client's customer database of over 400,000, and less than 25% even knew they had a blog or Facebook page!
So obviously, you either need to do a better job of getting these people to your online properties, or you need to change the message to match your potential online customers. And use a mix of both methods:
If you're aiming at the wrong target, then you're going to struggle to get traction.
And the first place to look for a clue is your engagement.
The key element that sets it apart is the ability to bluff your opponents, regardless of the cards you're dealt.
So you're not always playing the cards in your hand. You're playing your opponents.
Anytime they say or do something unexpected, they're possibly giving you hints about their cards. This tell is usually involuntary, but it can clue you in to what cards they're really holding.
If you're experienced enough, then you can pick up on these quickly and know exactly what type of player you're up against.
The same is true online. There are certain "tells" that aren't obvious to most. But if you know where to look, you can quickly uncover the truth.
Here are three social media mistakes that could make you look like a rookie.
Mistake #1: No "Anchor"
Each individual status update should be a part of a larger strategy.The careful coordination of your activities will give you much better return in the long-run. So before doing anything, you need to start with an overarching goal. The one you pick will act as an anchor that brings order from chaos. And it will simplify your decision making when you need to choose between conflicting options.
Typically, there are three primary ways to use social media:
- Growth / Awareness
- Engagement (Proactive)
- Service (Reactive)
So get in the habit of running marketing campaigns that build off each other. When you string enough of these micro decisions together, you'll start to get some momentum. But only if the next one builds off the last.
And focusing on higher leverage tactics, like business development, is a much better use of your time. Because you're investing in one campaign that will give you multiple returns (Content + SEO + Social).
Mistake #2: No Consistency
Online marketing is part art, part science.You have do a lot of experimenting, and failing before you find what really works well.
So when you do find successful tactics, try to make them as "repeatable" as possible.
Obviously this helps to manage your customer's expectations. But it goes deeper than that.
When you have repeatable tactics, you can start to estimate and forecast potential results.
For example, if "X" tactic gets you between 200-300 visits each week, and that traffic converts at "Y"%, then you will make $"Z".
You'll immediately uncover the areas you need to address to increase sales (bring in more customers and/or increase conversions). And you'll know how much you can invest to achieve or improve your results. Like start advertising or hire extra staff to scale these tactics for you.
If you have to invest $50 or one hour to get 100 visits, then think about how you can make that process more efficient and squeeze out a little more, for a little less.
And you'll start to see that you really don't need 10 different tactics or to be on every single social network.
You just need a few that are performing well, with possible room to grow. And you can focus your energy on doing more with less.
Mistake #3: No Engagement
Customer engagement is the missing link between strangers and loyal buyers.Because people need to trust you before they're going to buy anything.
And blog comments aren't the only form of engagement. Look a little deeper, and see if people are engaged with your online presence:
- High time on site and/or pages per visit
- Low bounce rates
- Above-average conversion rates or click through rates
- High email member ratings (based on open and click rates)
Research!
Demographic information only gets you so far. Online, you need to understand what makes them take action or freeze up when it's time to buy.
And many times your online audience will be different from your loyal, past customers. (The "curse of knowledge" prevents us from seeing the obvious.) Last year I surveyed a client's customer database of over 400,000, and less than 25% even knew they had a blog or Facebook page!
So obviously, you either need to do a better job of getting these people to your online properties, or you need to change the message to match your potential online customers. And use a mix of both methods:
- Qualitative: Pair short, open-ended surveys with incentives to drive up response rates.
- Quantitative: Watch metrics like the ones above to see if your marketing messages are actually making a dent. (People sometimes say one thing, but do another.)
If you're aiming at the wrong target, then you're going to struggle to get traction.
And the first place to look for a clue is your engagement.
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