How Do I Fix My Social Media Marketing?

This is a question that so many business owners struggle to answer.

You know Facebook is important, so you sign up. Twitter and Instagram are popular, too. So you sign up. Snapchat and Pinterest? Yep, you signed up for those, too.

But, for one reason or another, you just can’t get them to work. At all.

So, what’s the problem?

Your logo is in place, you’re posting several times a day, and no one is taking any interest.

Maybe it’s time to quit. Before you do that, STOP! When your car breaks down, do you just leave it and move on? Absolutely not!

…though, I’ve done that before… long story. Maybe another time.

What do you do?

You figure out what’s wrong and try to fix it. And, if that doesn’t work, you take it to a mechanic.

Why? Because it’s one of the most important pieces of your existence. You value it, and you know it’s necessary to get you where you need to go.

Good social media marketing not only makes you credible, it can drive your business to new places.

Smart brands know that an active social media presence is essential in today’s digital marketing landscape.

-Forbes

Since you’re here, you’ve obviously hit a road block. Let’s figure out why your social media marketing isn’t working, and how we can get it fixed.

5 Common Social Media Marketing Problems

1. You’re Posting to the Wrong Audience

If you’re like most people just starting out with social media for business, then you’re likely a bit confused. You set up your accounts, and now it’s time to build an audience. Oh hey, I can invite all of my Facebook friends to like my business page!

It’s great to have friends, family – possibly exes you keep tabs on, or visa versa – that support your business, especially when you’re in real estate or insurance. But you’ve got to ask yourself whether or not they’d actually be interested in what you have to offer.

Eventually, if they’re not interested, they will tune you out, and you may get a little bitter about it.

Alright, so then maybe I’ll just use one of those fancy hashtag (#) symbols. Hashtags are great, but only if you know the “whats,” the “whys,” and, most importantly, the “how manys.”

#HashtaggingEverythingisNotTheAnswer #ChillOutOnTheHashtags #ThisLooksLikeSpam

Quick Tip: Start with people who know and trust your business. Invite them to like you on social media. And, make sure that EVERY piece of marketing you send out includes the social media channels that are most important to you. Also, BE PATIENT!

2. You Don’t Seem Genuine

People use social media to connect with people, not robots.

Take a look at your accounts, and do a quick audit. If you weren’t a part of your business, what would you gather from your company’s posts?

Do you get a feel for your brand’s voice and culture? If you don’t know how to answer that, then chances are no one else will either.

That’s called “posting for the sake of posting.” When it comes to social media marketing, now more than ever, you need to be genuine and make well-though-out posts.

Too many companies will post something along the lines of, “this article says this.” Or, they simply post pictures without adding some sort of context – “this picture was taken in Ohio.”

(NOTE: A LOT of social media management companies use these techniques. If the company/person you hired to run social media doesn’t attempt to learn about your business, then they’re just taking your money.)

Where’s your personality? Where’s your tone?

I promise you that, if you don’t show those two things in your posts, people will not be mashing their keyboards anxiously trying follow your company.

Instead, they’ll be frantically searching for the “unfollow” button.

Quick Tip: Be thoughtful about what you’re posting on social media. Consider yourself as a teacher… an expert guide. You’re taking someone on a journey and telling them how you can solve their problems. Every post you make should help your followers get through this journey you’re leading.

3. You’re Not Posting Original Content

From a young age, we all learned to share. Sharing is what good people do, right? Well, when it comes to social media marketing, sharing is… well it’s okay. If you do it too much, then you’re doing yourself, and your audience, a major disservice.

Let’s step back, for a second, to being genuine. If you have your own brand, then you need to showcase how that brand stands out above the rest, without being arrogant, of course. It’s part of being genuine… showing how you really do want to help people and provide them with the best solutions for their specific needs.

If all you’re doing on social media is retweeting and sharing content from other companies, then you’re not really accomplishing that goal. In fact, you’re probably just helping those other companies take YOUR traffic.

Picture this: You’re a car salesperson (I know, I know), and someone arrives on your lot. Now, there is a dealership across the road that has the basic version of the car that your customer wants in stock, right now, and you don’t (but you can custom order it).

Are you going to send them to the other dealership? Of course not! You’re going to tell them how you’ll get the exact car they want with all of the functions they desire delivered right to your lot.

Back to social media, now. Sharing someone else’s content consistently is like telling that person to go across the street, instead of custom creating something even better and publishing it on your channels.

Quick Tip: Create, or hire someone to create, original content to post on your social media channels. If you like an article, then write a blog that about the same topic and include your own unique take. If it’s an info-graphic, head to Canva.com and create your own. If your goal is to stand out, then you need to be like you, and no one else.

(BONUS NOTE: Need a topic? Head to BuzzSumo.com and see what content is getting the most traction in your industry!)

4. You’re Focusing Too Much On Yourself

So, you’re posting genuine content to the right audience, now. But, you’re still not getting return on your social media marketing investment. Let’s do another audit.

Search through your posts as a consumer. Do you feel like you’re learning a lot about the company, and how it can help you solve problems? If you’re thinking, “no, but they seem to eat a lot of really good food,” then something probably has to change.

Don’t get me wrong, employee engagement is great, as long as it all, in some way, relates back to your goal of helping people solve problems.

Social media is all about selfies, but not when it comes to your business. Sure, we all stop and look at beautiful, filter-laced photos of people living seemingly unrealistic lives via Instagram story feeds. However, when you’re all about “me” while trying to sell a product, then you’re going to lose your audience.

Real estate agents might be the biggest offenders, here. We’ve all got that friend on Facebook, who, with every post, showcases how many houses they’ve sold. And, usually, they’re tagline is something similar to this: “When you’re ready to buy, call me! I’ve got a lot of experience!”

Are you going to rush to contact them? Probably not.

Give me an agent that can showcase his/her knowledge of the current housing market by doing a Facebook Live Q&A, or one that can share a few success stories via a video blog with former customers.

Your main focus, in all of your marketing, should all directly relate to how you solve problems for customers.

Quick Tip: When you post about yourself or your company, make it about how you’ve solved problems that customers faced, or about why you’re equipped to do so. Again, be the guide. Great leaders help people reach their goals.

5. You’re Not Advertising

Alright, this is the part that no one wants to hear, but it’s important. You could be doing everything right but, at the end of the day, social media channels are businesses as well. Just like you’d want people to pay for your services, social media companies expect the same.

Are they crooks? Of course not. In fact, last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company was changing news feeds to reflect more meaningful social experiences. You see, he saw that his customers were having problems being overloaded with things they did not care to see. Zuckerberg showed customers how he intended to solve their problems (sound familiar?).

Unfortunately, for businesses, that means that it’s even tougher to get messaging in front of your audiences. It’s even increasingly difficult to get your posts to people who actively follow you! Inevitably, to be successful, you’ll need to pay to play.

Now wait, before you start boosting and advertising away, know that throwing money at the problem will not solve it. That’s the exact reason why this section is last. In order to do well with advertising, you need to fix everything else first. If your posts aren’t solid, then you’ll be wasting money because each channel has strict advertising guidelines.

Also, you’ll have to know who will benefit from your posts, and target them accordingly.  Tools such as Google Analytics & Facebook Insights will help you on that front.

Quick Tip: Start with developing and working within a social media marketing budget. Create a few different ads, and boost some of your more engaging content to really create a strong audience. Do some A/B testing to see what’s working and what’s not, and adjust accordingly. Stay within each channels specific guidelines, though, as some are pretty strict when it comes to advertising.

Make Social Medial Marketing Work Better For You!

Social media can be confusing, and it changes daily. But you don’t need to give up! Instead, make some adjustments, be diligent and intentional with your campaigns, and you’ll see results. You’ve got this!

Keep in mind that it’s going to take time. If you only have time for one channel, then stick with that for now, and work on the others when you feel ready. Make yourself great at Facebook, then move onto Twitter, and so forth!

If you’re still not sure how to navigate this digital world, we are here to help. Connect with us on Facebook (Click Here) and/or Twitter (Click Here) to ask us more questions or provide some feedback on this article.

If you want to schedule a consultation with us about your marketing, just click the big yellow button below and complete the contact form. Or, if you want to learn more about we can help you, Click Here!

Thanks for reading, and best of luck with you social media marketing!