Maybe you’ve been using Twitter for several months now and haven’t seen a result.
Maybe you’ve been posting content everyday to your Facebook page and no one is commenting.
You may be thinking, “what’s the deal, I’ve committed to this and still I’m seeing no results”
Before you give up, do some self-examination. Here are some common reasons why your social media activity isn’t working:
You’re a self-promotional blow-hard
Take a look at your posts over the last 2 months. What does it say about you? Are you just talking about yourself? Are you just telling the world how great you are? Chances are that approach isn’t going to resonate with people, most importantly your customers.
Try switching it up and using social media to be…SOCIAL.
Start a dialogue. Use your real name. Stop selling, start helping.
You rely too heavily on “one particular social network”
Have you been totally reliant on Facebook? Well folks, the free ride is OVER. So unless you’ve adapted your tactics to include ads on Facebook, you’re going to need to pivot. Either get an ad budget or find your network elsewhere.
You don’t do your homework
Do you have any idea how much social media has changed since it first caught fire around 2007-2008? It’s not enough to set it and forget it. These networks are constantly in flux and new opportunities arise and things that use to work, may not be effective anymore.
Subscribe to some blogs and newsletters, and keep up with what is happening. Your audience is probably using many more sites and apps than you are.
You are measuring the wrong things
Within the past week, I’ve heard three stories of people who are being held accountable for results that are out of sync with the goals.
If the goal is brand awareness, don’t measure ROI. If the goal is sales, don’t measure likes.
If your metrics are mismatched from the goals, everyone is going to have a bad time and question whether or not this is worth the time.
Get some help
Look, I don’t keep my own books.
Why?
Because I’m not great with spreadsheets, budgets, balance sheets, income statements, and P&L reports. So why are you sitting there trying to develop a social media strategy?
Whether you ask a friend in the industry, or hire someone like me for consulting over coffee, or hire us for a full scale engagement, you need some guidance from a professional that does this everyday.
If you want results, devote the time, effort, and budget. Otherwise, you’ll keep wondering if it’s worth your time.