Any digital marketing strategy will never be complete without a comprehensive social media strategy. It doesn’t matter whether a social media marketing company Philippines-based or not is doing your SMM, there is no denying the power of social platforms in communicating and interacting with the prospects and customers. Indeed, social media is geared towards long-term growth. Unfortunately, not all brands are in good terms with social media, blaming their inefficiency when it is always the other way around. What could go wrong with social media? Below are the answers.
Reasons for social media marketing gone wrong
1) Misaligned business goals and social strategies
Business goals are created at the start of the business operation. Now, the social strategies should be aligned with these wherein every activity occurring on the site should reflect the VMGOs (vision, mission, goals and objectives). Let’s say your business is a digital marketing agency. You cannot just sell the services on your Facebook page. You must also tell your target market what the benefits of using the social platform in building brand awareness, for instance, are. If you are publishing case studies and white papers, you might as well explore SlideShare and LinkedIn. Relevance is key here.
2) Impractical brand expectations
The impact of social media is profound and not necessarily miraculous. Social media have limitations, too, aside from its own response time, and 30,000 likes do not mean a popular brand either. With this, know that social media cannot transform your business in just two weeks or so despite investment lots of effort and even money. Realistic, data-backed expectations matter, so you won’t be disappointed in the end. Developing social strategies is not a separate activity. Think about the business objectives and work your way backward. Let the goals drive and direct the strategy.
3) Lack of social media understanding
Social media are not universal wherein what you do on Facebook you should also do on Twitter. Each platform is different from demographics of users to usage patterns. For example, about 85% of moms in the US use Facebook regularly and closely followed by Pinterest at 39%. This means if your business targets mothers, you should be on Facebook and Pinterest and not on Twitter, Google+ or Instagram. It also stands to reason that not because Twitter is working for your rival, it will also work for you. This is not always the case. Not all platforms will have a good fit with the nature and scope of your business. Don’t spread yourself too thin across all the platforms. Think of your core business and decide from there. Pick up to three relevant platforms and focus on them.
4) Employing the wrong talents
Strategies are only as good as those who implement them. This rings true even for social media strategies. You cannot just hire talents who are aware of how to tweet or update status almost every two hours. You should look for talents who know every nook and cranny of these platforms. Essentially, what they think they know is different what they should be aware of in reality. Look beyond the resume. Social media may be free, but you must invest in the right people or those individuals who are willing to align their individual goals with the goals of the brand as well as the goals of the social strategy.
Despite your best efforts, your brand may not reach its full potential because of flawed approaches. Don’t be victimized by your own inefficiency, digging your own pit to fall into. Also, understand that social strategies take time before concrete results are generated. Sometimes, things are really working out just fine, but you hardly notice them. Focus on knowledge-building to understand social media in a way that they will benefit your business. Steady growth means you are on the right track.
