Jay Leonard
You have implemented a social media strategy for your organization and that’s a huge step. Your company is about to land in the laps of many more potential clients or customers and who doesn’t need more of those, right? But what happens when the people don’t come flocking in like you or the executives thought they might? Does that mean it’s time to just shut it down and call it day?
I have good news for you: You don’t need to throw in the towel. In fact, social media does a lot for brands that make good use of the networks they are on.
According to Hubspot, social media doubles the marketing leads that you might produce by attending trade shows, telemarketing, sending out direct mail, or implementing PPC campaigns. In addition, companies that are able to generate 1,000 Facebook likes have nearly 1,400 visitors to their site daily. There’s no doubt that if your organization is seeking to broaden its reach and increase web traffic, social media is the place to be.
Not getting any nibbles on your social media accounts? I’m going to tell you something, and please don’t take it the wrong way, but it’s probably because your social media strategy sucks. I know that’s harsh. The good news is that there are actions you can take to turn it around and make your social accounts the lead generating machines you want them to be. It just takes a whole lotta heart, a little soul, and maybe some tears and perseverance.
If you are unsure whether your social media marketing is on the right track, it may be time to take a good, hard look at what you’re doing. Here are some signs that your marketing on social media is on the sucky side.
1) You only post one time a few days out of the week at odd times.
There is no hard and fast rule about when you should post or the right amount of posts you should have per day. This article can give you a good starting point, though. There are plenty of opinions out there, but one thing is certain: the more you post, within reason, the better. What I mean by “within reason” is that you want to avoid over-posting and driving your followers crazy. Do some research and find out when your followers are online. This will give an increase your chances of creating quality leads and gaining more followers.
2) You’re posting the wrong content or only your content.
Do you have a buyer persona outlined for your organization? If not, it’s time to make one. Here’s a great framework to use to create your own. Use this buyer persona and find content that reflects their pain points or something that they might be interested in. Use content aggregators to find tons of great content all in one place. I love Alltop.com and Digg.com. Social media is a great way to share the content that is created by or for your organization, but it’s also a place to share other peoples’ thoughts and ideas. Share the wealth by posting content from other sources so you don’t come across as too pitchy.
3) The voice and tone in your posts is inconsistent.
One day your organization sounds like a Harvard Law professor, the next your posts are littered with slang. While some might find this a refreshing change of pace, most will see your organization as inconsistent and an unreliable source of credible information. It’s good practice to create a company-wide style guide that will set the structure for all future posts regardless of whom does the posting.
Does your social media marketing suck? Knowing is half the battle. If it’s time to rethink your strategy, all is not lost. Do research on what others in your industry are doing in social media: what works, what doesn’t and their tone. Take the time to get to know what your potential clients or customers want to see from you.
Did your social media strategy fall flat on its face? Tell us what you did to turn it around!
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Jay Leonard.
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I agree with not posting often enough. That is the single biggest mistake I see businesses make when they are first getting started.
– Bryan
Posting too often is another HUGE problem for most companies or groups. More FB pages get unliked and unfollowed, or simply blocked in the news feed that way.
Thanks for reading, Bryan and Jim! Jim, I should probably do an entire separate blog on posting far too much. You are definitely right – it’s all about balance and finding the right formula.
The 4th problem I would say is Buying Facebook Page Likes to beef up the count. Although it is logical to increase your likes so that you can start your social media activities for your followers, but the issue is, a lot of people Like a page because their friends like a page. And these people have no real connection to your brand or what you offer. So, they will hardly ever engage with the content that you produce.