If you want to leverage social media for your business, it is important to know what is and what is not working. Over the last 12 years, I have seen businesses spend thousands of dollars on social media marketing. They come to me frustrated. Their efforts are not delivering the results they’ve been promised or hoped for. There are often several reasons for this.
Why Your Social Media Efforts Aren’t Working.
Not knowing your target market. It is key to know who you’re talking to. You might have more than one.
The wrong social media platform or too many. Not every platform is created equal. They don’t all appeal to the same demographic. When you know your target market it is easier to choose a social media platform that is right for your business. I won’t lie, if you’re not sure, the safest bet is to begin with Facebook. Start with one platform at a time.
No objectives or goals. It is very important to set some objectives and use metrics to measure success. If you’re expecting traffic to your website but you’re not utilizing Google Analytics to see if the traffic is coming from your social media efforts, you can’t say if social media marketing is or is not working for you.
Inexperience. It is easy to understand why a business would think they can manage social media on their own without help. This is very possible to do if someone takes the time to learn. All too often taking the time to become educated on all the above and the “how-to” of social media marketing does not happen. Expert training and coaching are available if you’re a DIY type of person but before you jump into the deep end, learn to swim.
Hiring the wrong help. It is true, not everyone can use social media for marketing a business. In fact, many people who advertise that they can help your business, aren’t even qualified. People jump on the bandwagon because they have personal accounts or have experience on the web. Just because I work in a doctor’s office doesn’t mean I’m qualified to diagnose an illness or prescribe a medicine.
PRO TIP:
If you decide to hire someone, the best advice is to look at their personal and business accounts on social. If they’re going to teach you how to use a social media channel but do not have followers, you might want to take this into consideration before signing a contract. At the very least ask about their numbers. Do they practice what they preach? A good example is the Keep it Real Social Facebook page. My numbers aren’t high, but they were. I had a blog that was sold after 11 years and the Facebook page was sold with the blog. I had enough value in the Facebook page that the new owner wanted this account to be part of the deal.
Don’t Give Up
If you’re feeling like your spinning your wheels or have been led astray, don’t quit. Social media marketing is powerful, but it must be leveraged correctly for each business. This is exactly why we specialize in optimization and the strategy. When you have a plan, you’ll always get further in the end, even if you must take a detour.
