In order to understand why social media isn’t working for you, you have to understand what it is first.
Social media is a great tool to grow your business and engage your audience. It gives you unique access to what your target audience thinks, believes, cares about and wants. Additionally, social media creates opportunities for customers to better understand the stories of their favourite brands and those they’re just learning about. However, it’s just one thing. Allow me to explain:
Think of your social media presence as a tool in the toolbox. It’s one among many that help you carry out your digital marketing.
You reach for that tool when you need it for a specific purpose in order to accomplish a specific goal. It may work in your favour when you’re trying to increase engagement. But social media may not work in your favour when you’re trying to increase sales. In short, social media can’t do everything. Here are three reasons why social media isn’t working for you:
1. Social media is just a platform
Social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram exist for people to socialize online. They connect people around the world who would otherwise never cross paths. Furthermore, they present opportunities for brands to engage with their customers and share short-form content.
However, they can only accomplish so much awareness-building and engagement goals. That’s why it’s best not to place social media platforms at the centre of your digital marketing efforts. Platforms exist to send messages. You want to do more with your business, right?
2. You can’t reach new people
The 3.8 billion people who frequent social media websites are likely already aware of your business. Unless they use the platform’s search function, people who are completely unaware won’t be able to find you elsewhere. This is especially the case since your content won’t necessarily show up in other search engines.
This is partially why social media isn’t working for you. The number of people who would be interested in your brand are unaware of what it’s all about. Moreover, social media platforms are limited to whatever functions are available there, making it hard for any business to do much beyond what the platforms are intended for (i.e., engagement, sharing content etc.). Growing your business requires growing your customer base using a robust strategy to guide you.
Visibility is not guaranteed
Social media gives every user a lot of content in a short amount of time and quickly. People scroll past hundreds of pieces of information a day and only stop for interesting ones. As such, there’s no guarantee that people will stop and read whatever you post. This is especially true if you aren’t purchasing advertising space anywhere. Organic (read: without paying for visibility) impressions and engagement can only reach a fraction of your target audience. Moreover, social media competes with Google in terms of finding answers. There are 3.5 billion searches a day on Google. If you want to increase your visibility to potential customers, social media alone is not enough.
Social media is one piece of the marketing puzzle
Social media is valuable tool in your digital marketing toolbox, but it is just one. One tool can’t do everything. Yes, it may bring you closer to the highest number of followers you’ve ever had and, it may even increase your online engagement. But it can’t necessarily increase your sales or boost your brand loyalty. Ultimately, it works best with other efforts, such as your website, email marketing, search engine optimization, communications strategy and more.
To conclude: Don’t limit your brand to just the beginning of your story. Tell the whole thing!
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