Most people recognise the importance of social media. It’s an incredibly useful tool in all aspects of business life, from networking and answering customer queries to marketing and enhancing your website’s SEO. However, if you find your social media campaign isn’t living up to your expectations, there could be a number of reasons why it is failing…
You’re sitting on the fence
The old saying that you can’t please all of the people all of the time is true. The best social media messages need to provoke a reaction to truly engage potential customers and clients. So, a fashion retailer might post pictures of A-listers on the red carpet and ask Facebook users to comment on the outfits or you might post a business blog on LinkedIn to provoke conversation.
You don’t have a strategy
Because of the rapidity with which social media channels have sprung up, there are many businesses that don’t have a social media strategy and simply make it up as they go along. By drawing up a proper strategy, you’ll be able to stay focused on your chosen channels and the message you want to get across. You will also be able to target the right influencers and connect with social users that interact with stories around your industry, products, and services.
You’re too focused on sales
If all you do is simply post pictures and prices of your products, your users and viewers will soon switch off. Instead, think about building a community rather than making a sale. That way your customers will think of themselves as part of your business and at home with your brand and will be more likely to buy into the conversation.
You’ve chosen the wrong channels
If you’re not getting the response from your social media that you want, it could be that you’ve chosen the wrong channels to focus on. If your business is very visual, you’ll want to choose social media channels such as Pinterest and Instagram to reflect that. You’ll also need to think about which channels your audience uses most. It’s no good focusing your efforts on a channel that won’t be seen by your target market.
You’re not integrating
Social media marketing needs to be a joined-up effort with the rest of your marketing and sales strategy. Do you include social share buttons on newsletter or social icons on your print materials? Do you have social tabs on your website that your users can easily get to your social sites and do you provide links back to your website from your social media channels? Are your social channels sharing and discussing content from your blog and not just pointing back to your homepage?
You’re not consistent
Running a business is incredibly time-consuming, but you still have to make time to regularly update your social media sites. It’s about consistency. There’s little point in posting for a few days only to neglect your social media the following week or even month. Your users need to know you’re consistent, that if they log on they will find something new and exciting.
You’re not quick enough
When prospective clients and customers ask you questions via Twitter or Facebook, they expect a pretty immediate response. If you’re not fast enough when it comes to answering them, you could lose vital sales and revenue. Set up alerts and don’t neglect the customer service side of social media. Review who will be managing social media and when. If you are running an e-commerce site, who will manage the social media over the weekends if this is your busiest shopping period?
You’re posting at the wrong times
There’s little point in putting a lot of effort into creating engaging content only to post it at the wrong time so no-one reads it. Research your users’ social media habits and tap into them. Are they in the habit of logging on quickly during lunchtime at work or are they more likely to spend some time on Facebook, thinking about potential purchases, just before bedtime? Create a schedule and make sure your posts go up when your clientele is accessing social media platforms.
Your expectations are unrealistic
Even some of the big-name brands don’t have huge social media audiences. Just remember that numbers aren’t everything. While it’s flattering to have lots of fans or followers, those figures may not necessarily translate into sales. It’s better to have fewer followers who actively engage with your brand and are likely to buy from you. Don’t get caught in the trap of buying fake followers, no matter how cool you think it looks, your account will look fake when you have 10,000 followers and no one engaging with you. Think about how much you value your business reputation.
You aren’t listening to feedback
If you’re spending lots of time creating content for social media and pushing it out there without taking the trouble to understand how it is being received, then you could be missing a trick. By keeping tabs on how effective your content has been, you’ll be able to put more time and effort into what is working for you and ditch the content that your audience doesn’t engage in. Also take a look at the headlines that get the most shares and favourites, don’t be afraid to experiment to capture your audience.
With strategic planning, consistency, and analysis, you’ll have a social media campaign which does exactly what it should – raise awareness of your brand along with interaction and revenue for your business.
