Are you actively posting on social media but aren’t getting the attention or results you’re after?
This is only too common. Social media is highly competitive, and ever-changing algorithms can make it tough to get your content seen by enough people. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re creating bad social media content; it might just mean you’re focusing your effort in the wrong places. While there’s a lot that determines your social media success, here are some common reasons why social media might not be working for your business.
You’re Pushing Your Products Too Hard
A common mistake that businesses make on social media is being too salesy. Sure, you’re there to generate more customers and sales, but pushing your products too hard will annoy people. People use social media to discover content that interests and engages them. This means successful social media content should add value to your audience and not just promote what you sell. Try to create entertaining, educational, interesting, or inspiring posts. Of course, you’ll want to include your products or service in these posts, but don’t make generating sales your primary focus.
You’re Not Considering the Entire Customer Journey
Customers typically have many different touchpoints with a brand before making a purchase. This means it’s not common for someone to discover your brand on social media and then make a purchase immediately. Instead, they might visit social media, then your website, then sign up for your mailing list and only then make a purchase decision.
When posting on social media, it’s important to understand the entire journey a customer typically takes with your brand. This will help your social media content promote the next best step (like sending traffic to your blog) instead of just trying to promote a direct sale.
You’re Not Social Enough
Never forget the social aspect of social media. No social media channel is designed as a one-way communication system. Instead, social media platforms exist so that you can actively engage with your audience.
As a brand, consumers expect to be able to connect and engage with you on social media. So, use your social media presence to respond to queries, offer insights, and engage with your audience. Another important thing here is to reveal your brand’s personality. Social media is a great place to show the people behind your business and display the human side of your brand. Getting this right will help you create a more meaningful and personal connection with your audience.
You’re On the Wrong Channels
A common social media mistake is focusing on the wrong channels. You might post awesome content, but this doesn’t mean much if it’s not reaching your target audience. Instead of trying to cover all of your social media bases, rather choose one or two channels to focus on and build a meaningful and highly-engaged audience on these channels.
The best social media channels depend on your business and who your customers are. Try to understand the different demographics on each channel and what kind of content people want to see on each channel. Ultimately, you’ll only succeed on social media if it connects you with your target customers.
You Don’t Use All The Available Features
You can do a lot with social media, with each social network constantly updating and releasing new features. It’s important to stay on top of the latest social media trends and developments if you’re going to attract and engage a larger audience.
For example, you can sell directly on some social media channels, access a wide range of different video features, create live videos, post trending content, and more. If you just stick to what you know, you’ll struggle to stay relevant and interesting.
Social media moves quickly, so you should always try new things to engage your audience. By actively experimenting with new features and developments, you’ll have a far greater chance of cracking social media algorithms and boosting your popularity.
A successful social media strategy is about being active on the right channels, posting content your audience wants to see, and ensuring your social media efforts align with your overall marketing strategy. You’ll probably need to do plenty of experimenting and testing before you get this right.
Once you do nail it, social media can be an incredibly powerful tool for attracting new customers, generating sales, and growing your brand. Just be consistent and understand your audience as much as possible. This will help you create content that has the best possible impact.
