Social media has been discussed at YaBlog as a great way to promote businesses, engage with audiences and provide value. However, if you’ve been following the tricks of the trade with little to no success you might be wondering why it isn’t working. Succeeding on networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and others requires proper resources and the energy and time to devote to them. Quite simply, sometimes life gets in the way. Read on to discover 5 reasons why your strategy might be falling flat and ideas for getting back on track.
Inconsistency
Consistency is key when it comes to social media. If you’ve fallen into a rut of posting at off-times, forgetting to schedule content in advance and cycling between periods of high activity and falling off the face of the Twitter-planet, you’re going to appear unreliable and undedicated. Find your footing by crafting a plan for posting and sticking to it. You can even use one of those nifty publishing platforms, like HootSuite or Sprout Social, to make it even easier.
Cookie-Cutter Content
Standing out on social media requires innovation. Customers are much less likely to like and follow businesses that think within the box instead of outside of it. However well written and researched, blog posts, infographics and other content must offer something unique and tailored to the audience in question. Before you post, ask yourself: is this different than everything else that’s out there?
Too Much Horn Tooting
Twitter and Facebook are not simply channels for self-promotion. While the occasional tweet describing your services, advertising a sale, boasting about a completed project or linking to your website is welcome, users don’t follow companies that post only about themselves. Follow the golden “80/20 Rule” – 80% of your posts should be about generating and maintaining interest (think industry news, product releases and insightful, useful blog posts) while the remaining 20% can be used to, you guessed it, toot your own horn.
Too Little Personality
While it’s (sometimes) okay for big box brands to post generic, bland updates, start-ups and smaller businesses don’t get anywhere if they don’t let their personality shine. Instead of sticking to strictly a professional voice, which can come off as stuffy and boring, humanize your brand to generate interest and build loyalty, which in turn boosts website traffic and more. Make a goal to connect with your audience in a personal way; create an authentic voice your audience can connect with.
Lack of Conversation
Social media is one of the best ways to interact with your audience. Genuine interaction generates likes and follows and fosters a positive environment; potential and current customers feel like you’re listening, which builds trust and credibility. If you’re posting great content regularly but not conversing with others, boost your presence by replying, tweeting, sharing and commenting.
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