Social media has become one of the most used portions of the internet over the past five years. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and others have all become places where many potential customers are congregating. Understanding the natural way to get your product or service in front of all of those eyes is one of the most important things to understand when creating your online brand.

Mistakes

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when turning to social media is misunderstanding their audience. A lot of companies will create a Twitter account and simply spam advertisements 20 to 30 times a day. The problem is that to most users, this is just noise.

Engage through Listening

Like traditional forms of advertising, it is important to find out exactly who your core audience is. However, unlike television, print, or radio, social media is a two-way communication. As a brand, you should not only talk to your potential customers, but listen to them as well. Find out what they are talking about and join in the discussion. Use natural language that doesn’t sound like a sales pitch. That type of authenticity is appreciated and will net better results than casting a wide net.

Quality

10,000 followers is worthless if none of them are talking about your product. On their feeds, you are nothing more than background noise. 1,000 followers who are constantly talking about your brand, replying to your Tweets or Facebook posts are much more valuable, since they become vocal ambassadors for your product.

Take your time and build your audience through natural communication and engagement and you will become a social media powerhouse in no time.