Five reasons your social media efforts aren’t working for your business

We all know social media is powerful for spreading the word about your business. But are you using it correctly? Just because Mary from the beauty salon is doing well on instagram and getting lots of customers and sales doesn't mean instagram is the right place for you and your business. Just because John uses Facebook to engage with his audience doesn't mean that Facebook will work for your audience. There are several platforms out there.

 

You must decide which one to use and when you decide which platform to use learn how to use it correctly.

 

Here are the most common reasons why social media isn't working for your business:

 

1. You aren't on the right platform for your audience

Are your audience young or older? Do you know who your customers are? What is your customer avatar like? What music do they listen to? What kind of TV shows do they watch? What radio station are they most likely to be listening to?

Once you know who your ideal customer is, you can decide which social media platform is the one for you.

 

2. No Strategy 

Who do you want to reach? Who is your customer? The most common answer I get here is 'Everyone is our customer' - no not everyone is your customer. If you drill down properly you will see the majority of your customers you currently have probably have a common age bracket, earning potential, listen to certain radio stations, have certain values etc.

What form of content will you be creating? Will it be video or text? Audio or articles. What are your objectives? What do you want to achieve? Yes yes Sales but do you also want brand awareness? Are you going to be there and use it as a customer service tool? You could be the first point of contact for someone looking for your products or services.

 

3. No idea what to post

Are you adding value or just throwing up posts that are ads e.g. 'Buy this or special offer that' Are you sharing knowledge? Are you giving tips? Are you helping others along the way for example are you sharing local news and good news stories and keeping your audience informed? Photos are powerful so are videos. You can create great designs using Canva.

 

4. No time

As a small business owner time can be a struggle after all you are the sales person, marketing person, admin and more.

You must include social media as part of your marketing strategy as you could be missing out on customers by not being there. You can use a scheduling tool or schedule posts within your favourite social media platform  but be aware that once you schedule something you should check engagement and reply, comment or engage with anyone who comments on your scheduled post.

 

5. No Social Media Manager

You have someone doing the social media who is in another role - your social media marketing is an 'extra' role OR You have great social media managers but they don't understand the platform that your audience are on. You haven't checked your Twitter notifications for weeks as the social media manager 'doesn't do twitter' - Check. There could be potential sales there. It's really important to check the notifications and mentions and you, the owner should be checking these also.

 

All of this can be outsourced to a social media consultant or company. There are many people who offer this service. You can also learn how to use these platforms if you want to keep in house to get the maximum results.  I can help with this. Email me sam@Tweetinggoddess.com if you'd like to chat about training.

 

The main tip is to think how can you or your business add value, inspire, educate and empower your audience. Keep adding value and become known as the 'Go To' expert in your niche and the sales will come to you. If you can give hope to others or experiences rather than just posts that is where you will get ahead of your competitors.

 

Short form video is very popular and you have a story to tell so tell your story, bring your customers on a journey and watch what happens. People buy from people they know, like and trust. Use the #Backingbusiness hashtag and connect with others who use it.

 

Join the Backing business community and be part of the newest community for small business owners. We’ll be doing webinars to help small business owners just like you and social media tips will be a part of the valuable knowledge our experts will be sharing with you.