Guest Column : 5 Marketing Clichés that are killing your brand on Social Media

1. Always, everywhere, just because

Reaching your consumer is not a one stop shop anymore, there are so many avenues, channels and platforms in constant use and more are being created and arriving on the scene every day. The fail-safe way to ensure that no one is missing out is to use the cliché of posting on every platform. However, if your target audience is not really engaged in a platform, why would you need to have a presence on it? If a platform, does not really answer your communication needs, why would you use it as a channel? Savvy marketers nowadays know where their audience can be engaged and use that medium to communicate efficiently and effectively. By trying to be present everywhere, you may run the risk of diluting your effort and ending up with dead profiles and outdated information. When creating a presence on any social media platform, you should make sure it is consistently updated with relevant content that engages and reenergizes your followers.

2. The more, the better

Assuming that the more you are posting on Social Media the better it is for your brand and reach is totally wrong. Consumers will always have the right to choose by turning you on or off, just like we see in ad blocking today. Stay away from constant spamming that ends up as noise and move to consistent and exciting content. Be wise, plan your posts and curate them to be relevant to your audience.

3. If I only talk about my product/company, I’ll reinforce the awareness around it

In a recent experiment, it was interesting to find posts that were talking about common interest matters actually raised higher engagement than those that were company or product based. Screaming about the same subject matter over and over can eventually become boring. So yes, do talk about your company and products but have a healthy mix or blend of relevant subjects and industry content that can provoke opinions and engage your readers.

4. Surfing the content trend in the hope to go viral

People love to forward and share and having that communality brings us together.  Brands often jump on the opportunity to ride this wave especially if there is a hope to get on the viral path. Following a trend if on brand can be great to engage your audience, but surfing on every trend probably won’t elevate your company to the height of success if it does not reflect your identity. Cat videos are not for everyone!

5. Collecting 5 star ratings and pats on backs

Everybody likes to be raved about, but as soon as that negative comment pops up we all wish we could hit the delete button. Because of the openness and the opinion led nature of social media, brands need to be ready for all types of feedback. Negative feedback can also be a great learning curve for any brand on how to self-improve and get to the crux of what their consumers are really looking for, so think before you hit that delete button. On the flip side, if you are only receiving good reviews then you must be doing something right but make sure these reviews are authentic and from real people, as no one likes fake news.

 (The Author is Saurabh Mathur, Head - Strategy & Planning, VML India)

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