In
marketing, you can be too social. Or not social enough. Or social where it
doesn’t count -- the digital equivalent of showing up at the wrong party.
How to know if this applies to you? Here, three signs that you need to fix your
strategy -- and where you need to double down.
Warning
#1: You aren’t seeing any business results.
Solution: “Results” can mean so many things -- increasing
brand awareness, building authority in your industry, boosting sales or
conversions, giving your brand personality, servicing customers or something
totally different. There’s no way your social media presence will accomplish
all those things at once, so focus on just one or two goals to start. Figure
out what your top priority is, and then think about using social media more
strategically to accomplish that goal.
Warning
#2: You feel like you’re shouting into the ether.
Solution: You may not be using the appropriate social
networks. If you’re a company with largely rural customers, for example, what
are you doing on Twitter? According to the Pew Research Center, that platform
is far more popular with urbanites. There’s no rule that you have to be on
every platform, so pick the ones that match your audience. One way to figure
that out: Check your website’s Google Analytics to see which networks are most
robustly referring traffic. That’s where your audience is. Now go meet them
there.
Warning
#3: Your followers rarely like, share or comment.
Solution: Are you being too self-promotional? Take a look at
MailChimp’s social media. The company sells email services, but its content
focuses on making email suck a little less for us all. (Recent tweet: “Our
content calendar makes us really happy. Here’s why you should use one,” and a
link to read more.) Saddleback Bags sells leather goods, but its social content
frequently focuses on the adventurous lives of people who use them. What both
have in common: Rather than being self-promotional, they’re creating value for
their audience. Think about the ways your products or services can help people
and the larger context in which your company operates. That’s what your
customers want from you -- and if you deliver, they’ll like it (and share
and comment).
Ann Handley
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