When undertaken seriously, an effective social media strategy can work wonders to attract a lot of new eyes to your service or product, establish you as an invaluable resource in the industry, and gain lots of visibility for your brand. Used the wrong way, and you could end up sending thousands of valuable marketing money on a scattered strategy that tries to hit too many birds with one stone and fail to entice a solid audience.
Numerous business owners find social media frustrating. That’s definitely no surprise. It’s a time-consuming process. You need so many diverse skills because it involves so many different elements. It never stops and people expect you to always be on your A game. And it’s constantly evolving so it can feel quite overwhelming.
Do you feel like you’re hitting the wall when it comes to your business’ social media marketing strategy? Here are 15 reasons why your social media strategy may not be working the way you expected it to:
1. There is no consistent theme or style
This step may seem silly, but the reason your social media strategy may not be paying off is that you haven’t gotten particular about your brand voice or set a look and feel for your social media channels. Developing a particular style will help you stand out from the competition and can even make creating content a little simpler. This is especially true for very visual social media networks like Instagram or Facebook.
In fixing this technique, it is important to understand that this process can be a little tricky and will take a lot of thought – and maybe some trial and error. May attention to your brand colors, and what look and feel you desire to project. A theme can be as simple as selecting a specific filter for each photo, using the same frame on each photo – or even creating a pattern with the kinds of photos you select.
Consistency is key on social media and this goes for several diverse areas. It is crucial that your platforms have a consistent theme and style both visually but also in terms of your marketing copy and messaging.
It’s significant that you talk about similar things in the same way, so you have a consistent brand and you’re communicating that to your audiences. It is also important to stick to a consistent posting schedule. Never post ten times in one day and then not again for a week. Plan out a manageable schedule that positions accurately with optimum posting guidance. The same goes for developing content. It’s much better to create a stunning piece of content that goes out quarterly without fail than to push out loads of content for one month and then nothing for the next 6 months. We are sure that it’s going to go downhill from there. So, make an effort to be consistent.
2. Do not skip the initial research phase to save time
An effective marketing campaign is like hiking to the top of Mount Everest – you require to put in adequate preparation time, or else you’ll never be able to achieve your goal. When researching, always undertake the extra effort. Immerse yourself in your or your client’s brand and industry for better results. When strategizing your marketing campaign, you must have your ear to the ground constantly. Are there any traits that make your brand stand out from the competition? Do you have a robust sense of company culture? When you open yourself up, ideas will find you – and these traits can truly bring your campaign to life.
Interact with other departments, have brainstorming sessions, and ask your sales team for better help. Sales are out in the field with your current and potential customers on a daily basis. Pick their brains for content ideas that help answer the questions they get asked, or address subjects that help them overcome difficulties. Talk to your customers and always ask for their expert insights.
Ignoring the perceptions that the social media platforms offer to you on a silver platter is a common issue that has been costing companies sales.
During the research process, gather as many conflicting opinions as possible. Always take the extra step to identify trends. Research may seem a luxury – taking up resources and vital time, but it’s actually a marketer’s best friend.
3. Lack of clear goals and purpose
The major reason why your social media strategy isn’t working out the way you want is because you lack a clear vision of your overall social media goals or the purpose behind your posts. Each post on your social media channel must be accurately thought out and strategic – even if the strategy is just to put a smile on your follower’s faces.
We at Trigacy recommend that before starting your initiative, jot down a few goals you’d like to accomplish by using social media marketing. Take a look at your current accounts and what you’re missing. After doing that, you can craft some posts based on it. If you need suggestions, you can always reach out to us at Trigacy!
Many business initiatives try too hard and it’s transparent – users are savvier than ever, and they clearly know when you’re not being genuine. Rather than trying to sell to your audience, interact with them instead. Why not humanize your brand by curating posts on a more personal level – show the individuals behind the business.
Not being yourself is one of the most common flaws that we observe. Reflect your company’s personality by uploading candid pictures of your employees or business-in-action. This way you can clearly indicate your theme and goals. People always want to feel like they know you. So, make sure to never hide behind the corporate façade if you are a small business that is down-to-earth.
Reminding your customers that your potential business is ultimately made up of individuals who enjoy what they do, and more crucially individuals who want to help is only going to increase the chances of them becoming and remaining clients. After all, as the old saying – people buy from people.
4. Your content didn’t target the accurate stage of the buyer’s journey
When starting, make sure you’re sending the right message, to the right target person at the right time, within the right context. There’s no magical formula for effective marketing – but if you can get this right, we are sure you’ll have the next best thing!
Your business content needs to offer your readers solutions based on their current stage of the journey. It’s not about what you want them to hear, it’s about what they are ready to hear. The audience’s journey is there to guide your content strategy. It benefits you in staying relevant. It safeguards you from creating spam or bombarding clients with messages that are too strong, too early on, which may send your readers packing.
Effective social media marketing is about nurturing your customers until they are ready to purchase. Stick to the 80/20 rule when planning your social media content: 80% must be engaging, entertaining, educational, and informative, and only 20% must talk about your brand.
5. There is no analyzing and updating of the strategy
Analytics is where your essential answers are! If your social media strategy does not seem to be working, take a dive into your analytics.
We recommend that you check your analytics daily and take note of what is functioning and what isn’t. If it doesn’t operate, drop it, and focus your efforts on the things that are functioning properly. Pay attention to peak times, and your engagement rates.
Social media is constantly shifting, and you must make all efforts to continue checking into in order to keep up with the changes that happen with your audience. As a bonus – remember to audit your strategy every 3-5 months.
6. You are setting unrealistic deadlines
If you allocate unrealistic deadlines that are too short for your business projects, you’re setting yourself up for failure. When you rush, you forget vital steps – leaving you vulnerable and open to expensive mistakes. On the other hand, when your deadline is vague, sometime in the future, you’ll lose focus and forget why the campaign was crucial and relevant. You must try to set yourself a ‘Goldilocks’ deadline – not too cold, not too hot, but just right.
To make this happen, make sure you set smart and ideal goals for your marketing campaigns. These are goals that are specific, achievable, measurable, timely, and realistic. The best means to make sure that you’ve given your campaign adequate time to succeed is, to begin with, the end result in mind and work backward from there. Give yourself a list of small, attainable goals along the way so that you can ensure your marketing campaign is on the right track.
It is also crucial to note to all social media websites aren’t the same, and you can’t use the same voice and approach on all of them. Uploading the same content on your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter would offer a redundant and vague experience to your readers. So, try to make things interesting by using diverse formats on diverse platforms. Twitter and LinkedIn for example are ideal for links, while Facebook and Instagram are more visual and are a better platform for videos and photos.
7. You’re not prepared to shell out money
Businesses will pay out tons of money for billboards and signage for people who will see it for a few seconds while they are driving past, or for a quarter-page advertisement in a daily newspaper, but resent boosting a post on Facebook. There is a misguided belief that all engagement from social media must be organic. While that was once a possibility, nowadays even the most famous brands and personalities are shelling out large sums of money to advertise their page. According to experts, Facebook impressions (number of times your posts get seen) is approximately 6.4% of your total page likes. This means nearly 93% of your followers are not even getting to see what you upload.
Each time you’re running a new product launch or campaign, you must have a strategy to make sure everyone who’s liking and following your business page gets to hear about it.
8. You’re not directing readers to your website
If your website or page is entertaining and funny, then the audience will love it. However, if it’s not clear what you’re selling, you’re never going to make any leads and conversions. You must link back to your website via relevant and interactive blog posts that will interest your readers. Your blog could offer advice, talk about an issue, share crucial information, and then at the end, have a call-to-action that encourages the reader to visit another page on the website that will get them to the next phase of the buyer’s funnel. You’ve presented something for free (your content) and as a little payback, you’re requesting them to explore your website a bit further. That’s absolutely fair and could do wonders.
Understanding your potential audience is key in creating a social media strategy that not only garners engagement from your audience but also helps you complete your goals. Uploading memes for engagement may get you readers and likes, but the following you fetch will not be specific to your brand. Research is your friend here. Ask your current readers’ questions, check out the competition, and the conversations their relevant followers are having, run surveys. Use this data to curate posts that solve sore points, and add value to your target audience.
9. You aren’t devoted to building the skills required to make social media work for you
Social media marketing is a complicated area of marketing and if you have no marketing experience, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you know how to develop earned relationships with influencers?
- Do you know how to track metrics to observe of your efforts are working?
- Do you know how to develop an effective social media marketing funnel?
- Are you confident in designing your content strategy?
- Do you know how to craft client personas to place your readers at the core of your efforts?
- Do you understand how social media algorithms operate so you can align your tactics around them?
- Do you understand how each platform needs a unique strategy aligned to how that platform works?
If you answered no to some or all of the above questions then you’re unlikely to fetch results from social media marketing and it’s best to connect with an agency like us at Trigacy.
10. There is no Governance system
In a time like this when nothing seems to be going right, it is important to focus on data rather than dwelling on emotions. Building an organized governance system will help you in dealing with the urgent matters i.e. day to day running of the business, the short-term issue like liquidity and employee management, and possible long-term issues like the impact of the overall slowdown of the economy.
While you don’t want social media to consume your every day, you must invest some time in making sure you have enough fresh content on your website to fetch your reader’s attention – and indeed to inform your output on social media. Not only that, but it’s also crucial to stay relevant. Follow the trending news, listen to what your audience is discussing, and reflect that in your uploads. It’s also significant to try to put aside some time to involve yourself in some in-the-moment activity. This not only helps keep your content fresh and innovative but it also helps you to look responsive and authentic, something your audience will value. It’s always best to take one step further and offer your audience the opportunity to join in in moments of your own journey using live video.
To have a good governance system, it is advised to work with a real team that understands the content before you set up any social media strategy. We not only make sure to create content that will fit your writer’s expectations and come back for more but curate content that will develop traction with search engines as well. More significantly, we create content people will want to cherish and share on social media, generating even more attention to your website and content.
11. You are not engaging with your potential community
Engaging and interacting with your potential community is crucial for your social media efforts to work and to observe consistent growth. Get out there and like tweets and photos, interact on Facebook groups, tweet daily on Twitter, post comments on Facebook and Instagram, and begin conversations. Interacting with readers is the best means to get your initiative in the eyes of your target audience and influencers. When you upload, you must ask questions, invite opinions, ask for more input. Get your followers to share a little of their lives. Share their posts too and feature clients in your posts so their friends will like and share too.
This exercise can be time-consuming but getting organized can be the best way to approach engagement and interaction. Perhaps set aside a specific amount of time each day or week which you devote solely to interacting with readers and taking part in conversations. Do a quick search to find Twitter or Facebook chats where your target audience or influencers are hanging out.
The social media algorithms prefer it when uploads fetch a lot of engagement and particularly when conversations occur on posts. To initiate conversations, you need to reply to your readers and respond quickly because people expect an immediate response and if you leave it too late, they often get over it by the time you respond.
Trigacy’s team has had tons of experience of engaging with brands on social media and getting immense results back. The absolute minimum you must do is respond to every single person that converses with you but the idea is to develop on those comments to engage and create a conversation to result in real relationships with your customers.
12. You are trying to target everyone
You cannot satisfy everyone. Therefore, the marketing campaign can’t target everyone on the market. The sooner you realize who your ideal clients are it will be better for you and your business.
13. You’re expecting results too soon
Something we observe all too often is businesses starting to use social media for a few weeks, maybe some months, before giving up. Without investing heavily in paid advertisements, social media isn’t going to offer you the instant gratification you seek. It’s something you have to invest time in, building and nurturing an audience, listening to them, and curating content that interests, excites, and engages.
Before you call your latest campaign a failure, make sure you’re not being too hard on yourself. We all tend to ignore the big picture when it comes to analyzing the data and success metrics. If your goal was to advance your conversion rate, and you feel like this wasn’t the case, check for other metrics that could’ve benefitted positively from your campaign. That’s when you really begin to reap the rewards of your good effort, and in turn, understand a lot about your target demographics and what they’re searching for.
14. You’re not tracking the metrics to understand what’s working
When we poll our audiences to find out how many boutique businesses and charities are tracking the metrics on their posts and tweets, it’s shocking how few are. Accessing social media platform analytics on a daily basis is absolutely crucial. Otherwise, brands are just “spraying and praying” – pushing outposts and tweets here and there without any sense of what’s working and what’s not working. This wastes time, effort, money, and means you’ll never be able to nail your social media marketing efforts.
Each social media platform offers you comprehensive information on every one of your tweets and posts. When you access this information, you can understand things like:
- Which days and times get the most engagement because your readers are online
- What content fetches the most engagements and which drives the most conversations.
- Which social hashtags work to develop engagement and awareness.
15. You’re paying more attention to wrong metrics
The one exception to the above-mentioned difficulty is that brands always track follower numbers. They fixate over how many followers they have and don’t even look to see if they are the right followers – whether their followers fit the demographics of their ideal clients.
In fact, we know brands that are so fixated with this that they buy followers. We’ve had our experts operate with business initiatives with thousands of followers only to find on closer inspection that they aren’t the right gender or age and reside in a country that the brand doesn’t operate in. Questionably they also started following the account at the same time and don’t engage.
We also know of brands that undertake unreliable automated techniques to gain followers quickly, such as mass following and then unfollowing accounts or using bots that leave automated messages on relevant hashtags.
We also come across brands that get really excited about the engagement and followers they get after sharing hilarious videos and memes. But as these have nothing whatsoever to do with their brand – what does a smiling pug running in the fields have to do with a small business network for instance – the engagement they get is meaningless as it’s not for their potential clients.
All the above-mentioned tricks are undertaken to the detriment of the overall social media marketing strategy. At best they aren’t reaching out to the right individuals in the right way. At worst they are making use of strategies that could get their account suspended.
The most crucial step is not to spend as much or as little as possible on social media marketing campaigns. Always keep in mind that social media marketing can lead to massive returns. But this can be done in the right way only with a dedicated strategy.
Social media’s fame is definitely here to stay and knowing how to make it properly can do wonders for your potential business. You can efficiently use social media to pace with current and potential clients. You can also make potential clients aware of your brand and business services. It can make them aware of your services and products in the competitive market. Contingent on how you use social media, it can benefit from inspiring customers to connect with your precious brand!
