4 Reasons Businesses Fail on Social MediaIt’s not uncommon for businesses to feel like their efforts on social media are failing and their money is quickly disappearing. It can be especially frustrating for small companies that understand the potential for this style of marketing and are willing to invest but just can’t seem to get the formula right. 

When you see the success of your competitors but can’t achieve the same results, it can be very discouraging. It’s important to understand that social media marketing is not a one-size-fits-all tactic. For some businesses, traditional marketing styles just simply work better, but most of the time, key mistakes are being made that lead to a lack of results. 

Read below to learn about the most common reasons businesses fail on social media and how to optimize your marketing strategy for your own business. 

Repetitive Social Media Content Doesn’t Work

Running a social media campaign can be both time-consuming and capital-intensive depending on your approach. Because of this, many small business owners opt to reuse the same content across all social media platforms to accelerate the process and make this task easier. In reality, this may be doing more harm than good for your business because at the end of the day, it’s hard enough to get people to care about your social content, and repeating the same posts over and over can come off as annoying to your followers. 

A good solution to this problem is starting with a strong piece of content that can be reworked into multiple individual posts. If your company is already writing blogs, this can be an excellent opportunity to pull key pieces of information and transform them into bite-sized pieces perfect for social platforms. While it does take some additional time to pull out these highlights, it is much faster than starting from scratch and provides unique value to the audience. Additionally, using new visuals for each post will draw in the audience’s attention, even if the copy may be similar. There are many free stock image sites that have large libraries of images to choose from, making it a simple and budget-friendly way to diversify content.

It’s Important to Find the Right Social Channels

If you’re new to social media marketing, you may be tempted to jump right into Facebook, Instagram, or Linkedin among other channels. While it’s always great to experiment with different platforms, it’s always important to think about your target audience. Not only should you think about where your target audience spends time online, but you should also consider the mindset of users on each platform. 

For example, Instagram can be a great channel for B2C advertising and influencer marketing, but it’s not the right channel for every business. If you’re selling a trendy new line of activewear, Instagram could be the perfect channel for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking to advertise something like executive assistant services, Linkedin would be a much better place to post ads. Typically, Instagram is a perfect place to reach people in a more casual, leisurely, and fun way, while Linkedin has a much more professional mindset. In turn, people on Instagram are more likely to be open to shopping while people on Linkedin are more likely to be seeking professional services. 

Social Media Content Needs to Bring Value to the Audience

One of the most important rules of posting social content is that you must provide value to the user. While the ultimate goal is always promoting your brand and driving conversions, this is not a successful strategy to lead with. Instead, this goal can be achieved as a result of providing value to your audience. Posting sales-forward social content may seem easier, but it rarely receives positive engagement or leads to the conversion-based results businesses need. Not only does posting value-centric content lead to the same goals, but it creates stronger and more loyal bonds with consumers that have a higher chance of creating more profitable, long term relationships. 

Success on Social Media Takes Time

Many businesses face challenges regarding time and budget when it comes to social media marketing. It may seem counterintuitive to continue investing in a channel that is seemingly achieving minimal results, but in reality, social media marketing is a slow burn that takes time. It’s very rare for businesses to find success on social platforms right off the bat, for it often takes from 3-6 months to start achieving goals and begin seeing results. While this may seem like a long time to wait, relationships on social media have strong potential for long term profitability, often making this investment worth the time and money. 

71% of consumers who have had a good experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend it to family and friends.

Do you need to start advertising your business on social media, but aren’t sure how to get started? Or maybe you’ve already started but can’t seem to achieve your desired results?

CLICK HERE to schedule a complimentary 30-minute online social media audit to find out if you’re fully maximizing opportunities for your business across social platforms. 

 

 

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