“I made a post on Facebook. Why don’t I have 1000 Likes?”
Have you ever walked into a room full of people and whispered your name, hoping for everyone to turn and flock to you? It seems that many business owners believe that, because their business is unique, it will auto-magically stand out in the crowded sea of social media ships. The timeline goes as such: they register their social media profiles, make a few posts, and sit back and wonder why no one is following, liking or otherwise engaging with them.
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3 Key Misconceptions
There are three key misconceptions many businesses are making when they realize they should be leveraging social media to grow their business.
We’ll call the first misconception the “illusion of presence”.
There is a widely held misconception that being present on social media is enough. As this misconception goes, the assumption is that businesses get points just for showing up (on social media). Not to be platitudinous, but being successful as a business takes commitment and hard work; social media, like any digital marketing, also takes planning, creativity, and dedication. Showing up is not good enough.
The second misconception is that businesses often feel that when they do start to build an audience, they should talk only about themselves and how great they are.
Have you ever known someone like that? At first it’s fine, but after a while it becomes intolerable and alienating when they appear uninterested in what you like, want, feel, or care about. On social media, this manifests as businesses posting only about what they are doing, selling, or interested in without the understanding that social media, like walking into a crowed room, requires that they engage, talk, query, and generally appear interested in others. This two-way communication is the distinction between being social, rather than doing social (media).
The third misconception is the most pernicious. Some people believe that social media influencers are quietly guarding the secret social media button that once pushed causes likes and followers to fall from the sky. For most industries, the social media landscape is crowded. You are not a unique snowflake, until you can provide value to your audience. Moreover, and more importantly, these platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) are advertising platforms. They are a means to reach greater numbers of people in a more cost effective manner than traditional advertising. Just because it is free to create an account does not mean it’s not pay-to-play for (most) businesses.
There is no magic button, no single recipe that defines success; there is no mysterious formula that social media influencers have cooked up and are unwilling to share. Doesn’t exist. Research, dedication, monitoring, planning, and experimentation are the answer.
These misconceptions are the albatross hanging around the neck of your social media success. But, you ask, how can I be successful on social?
Top three recommendations
1. Provide value
Give your audience something engaging, interesting, and relevant to them. How can you tell which types of content resonate with your audience? Check out your analytics and monitor the engagement (Likes, Comments, Shares) on your content to discern potential new content development opportunities.
2. Distinguish yourself from your competitors
Try video, be creative, and experiment. Have you ever tried Instagram Memories or Facebook Live? If not, maybe you should. They are a great way to generate live content and provide a look “behind-the-scenes”. If you are not sure what Memories or Facebook Live are or how to use them, we can help.
3. Increase your reach and presence using ads
Using Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter ads can accelerate your profile growth and visibility. They can draw users back to your website or lead them to your profile. They are highly customizable, trackable, and editable, on-the-fly.
Want to learn more about how social media can help your business grow? Let’s chat!