The rules of social media have changed dramatically since 2010 when it became mainstream. What worked then certainly does not now. With so many businesses relying heavily on social to drive leads and generate traffic, it often leaves many business owners shaking their heads and wondering why they are not seeing results.

So, let’s look at a few reasons why it might not be working for you.

Are you talking to the “right” people?

Social media used to be about big audiences – remember skiting about the number of fans you had? Now, it is about having conversations with true fans, building community and engaging with them.  It is focused on quality rather than quantity.

Take a look at your insights and data and consider if you are reaching the right people. If your demo’s don’t match your target audience, then you it’s time to make some changes.

Content that engages

Is your audience responding to your content? If you are not seeing likes, shares or comments, it is time to review your content strategy. The simplest way to check this is looking at your post insights. Do more of what is working and less of what is not.

Are you having conversations?

Talking at people is not having a conversation and it is not creating a two way dialogue that will build a raving fan. You can influence buyer behaviour using two way conversations that don’t coerce, push or sell a product.

Conversations start with the content you are sharing. Can your content be improved? Can you improve how you engage with your audience?

You have no strategy

What is your strategy? Remember what your objectives were for using social media in the first place. Are you on track? And if you don’t have a strategy then create one.

Do you have unrealistic expectations?

This is a common issue. I have seen clients who expect a result in a month of a doing a few posts. And that isn’t going to work. If you don’t have realistic expectations then you are doomed to fail.

You’re on the wrong social channel

Are you playing on the right social media channel? If you are in Instagram just because your competition is but your audience isn’t then you are wasting your time. Every channel works differently and not all are right for your audience. Focus on 1 and 2 and do them well before trying to be everywhere.

You are are not commenting or responding

Social media is all about engagement. One of the measurements of engagement is commenting. The more comments a post has, the more it gets seen organically. Which means you need to respond to each comment and start a dialogue. Commenting & responding should be a big part of your strategy and really does take long.

Take some time to review what is working and then you will find the answers you seek. As always I suggest an ‘owned v rented’ strategy for marketing  as it just makes more business sense.

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