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Why Using The Wrong Social Media Channels Is a Waste of Time?

Have you ever turned up to the a party that you have not been invited to? The people at the party don’t know who you are and also you don’t know if you have much in common with them either. People that attend parties are called a gatecrashers. Sometime the people at the party will let you in because they feel compelled to do so. However, once you are in the party and they start talking people they will start to ask: Who are you with? Who invited you? and i.e. do you have permission to be here?
Even the gatecrasher actually will feel that the party is a waste of time as they are not getting into a useful conversation. Turning up but nobody knows who you are and they are unwilling to communicate with you, in the future they will think twice about to arriving uninvited.
So why do businesses keep on pushing messages out on social media when nobody in their networks want to listen to what they have to say? In the business world these people are often called spammers rather than gatecrashers. As a marketer, I understand people spam because they lack the understanding of their target audience and where they hang out in social media.

Why using the wrong social media channels is a waste of time?

The obvious reason is if you are talking to people that are not receptive to your message, then you are not going to get interest from the audience and they will be unwilling to forward the message on or engage with you. This will definitely not help you get the leads that you need. If it is the wrong audience, they will be unwilling to follow you or even worse you may attract them leading to wasted time and resources by following up a potential lead that is the wrong contact and doesn’t have a need for your product/service. If you are finding that this is happening then eliminate the bad social media channels.

How to find where your target audience actually are?

First step, if you have not already done so, download our guide to creating a buyer persona. This will help you then find your where they are.
To find them on Twitter use Twitter Lists
Lists gives you the easy ability to group your friends, competitors, key influencers, etc. into specific lists which you can refer to quickly to catch up with tweets you may have otherwise missed. To create a list, visit https://twitter.com/lists. Click “Create List” and follow the simple steps.
Followerwonk
This tool helps you dig deeper into Twitter analytics: Who are your followers? Where are they located? When do they tweet? You can also find and connect with new influencers in your niche
Hootsuite
HootSuite search streams are great for tracking topics you are most interested in. But keeping up with of all of the conversations, discussions and topics relevant to you, your business and your followers can be tough. Add a list on the social stream. Then you can create one for your favourite bloggers, coworkers or event attendees and zero in on content you most closely want to follow.
LinkedIn groups
You can find and join LinkedIn groups by searching for groups from the search field at the top of your homepage. Use keywords related to your personas job title or industry. You will see a list of groups and once you select a group I recommend you check stats to see the latest activity, growth of group and demographics. If they match with your persona then join the group.
LinkedIn
Also on the right hand side of the search box in LinkedIn,  you can do an advanced search. You can search people by job role/keywords and if they look like a good target you can connect. When inviting to connect don’t just use the standard text that LinkedIn give you, personalise it and tell them the value of connecting/engaging.

How an effective channels can be?

Social media can be your best opportunity for enhancing relationships and expanding your brand. It can also help you do your job better by not spamming people. Twitter can help spread your message to a mass audience and with the right followers they will mention you when retweeting it to their audience.
By joining the right LinkedIn groups you can receive a daily or weekly digest emails and engage with group discussions. By engaging with people in the groups this can add to your credibility/influence in the group and help you/or your company be seen as a thought leader.
If you are thinking in the future of spamming people, picture yourself as that gatecrasher at the party and the awkward feeling of having no right to be at there.