Why You are Failing on Social Media

Why You are Failing on Social Media

Social Media... It takes so much time. I don’t know what to do. There’s no return on investment. I don’t see any results.

Okay, I’m tired of the whining. Here is why you are failing at Social Media Marketing:

  1. You Treat Social Media Like Traditional Advertising

    Old-fashioned advertising was all about lecturing – pushing out one-way broadcasts to your target audience. But if you try that tactic on social media, you will get ignored. Or worse - you will be unfollowed and shunned (and then ignored).

    When I teach social media marketing classes, I am often asked, “If I start marketing on Twitter today, how quickly will I see a big increase in sales?” Well, not very quickly, especially with that short-term, direct advertising attitude. Social networking effectively leads to more income if you treat it as the perfect way to meet new people, build relationships, and attract attention. You get more business from the connections you make online – from the people who get to know, like, and trust you.

    Many people say, “Well, that takes a lot longer.” No it’s doesn’t! Direct selling to strangers online works never. Getting to know people, allowing them to get to know (and love) you, and building relationships works. It sounds like my way is a lot faster.
  2. You Aren’t Consistent

    Consistency in marketing is always important. It leads to higher visibility and trust. Lack of consistency makes your followers and connections worry about your reliability – even if it is subconscious. Your sporadic and unpredictable networking erodes faith.

    Here is what you want to be consistent with:

    • Frequency: How often do you connect? Do you post daily? Do you respond to questions quickly? Do you thank people whenever they share your information?
    • Your message: Stay true to your company’s philosophy, beliefs, and mission.

    • Your brand: Make sure that EVERYTHING you post is in alignment with how you want to be perceived.
  3. You’re Trying to Promote Your Business or Product, Instead of Promoting YOU

    People don’t connect with logos, products, brands, or businesses. They connect with people. Be YOU. Then people will learn about your business and your merchandise. Trust me on this. Join all social networking sites as YOURSELF if you want to build a loyal community of enthusiastic followers who can’t wait to tell others about what you have to offer.
  4. You Start Digging Your Well When You Are Desperately Thirsty

    Often, we will get a call at our Ghost Tweeting offices for help with Social Media marketing, and the caller says something like: "My book isn’t coming out for a few months, so I don’t need to start for a while."

    Yikes! I am shocked by the desire to wait until a product or service is released to start building relationships. Do you really think that promoting to total strangers who’ve never heard about you – and certainly don’t trust you yet – will lead to sales?

    It takes time to build relationships and trust – and those strong, loyal relationships are what it takes to achieve success in sales.

    Start connecting with people and build authentic relationships based on common interests and how you can help others. Don’t wait to build your well when you are thirsty. It will be too late.

Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Lots of entrepreneurs are struggling on social media. But now that you know why you aren't getting the results you want, make some simple changes and go get those results. Ready, set... grow!

Great post. I was amazed when total strangers started having conversations with me via DM on twitter. Asking my advice on which of my photos to hang over their couch, describing a home decorating project, or touching base to let me know they wanted to license my images for their site or their book . And others who just follow me and retweet thoughtfully. Over time you see their personalities and really feel like you are getting to know them, as you begin to not just RT but to promote each other. It grows exponentially. I grew my following from 300 to 6,000 organically in about 18 months once I became more active and am seeing ROI. By "organically" I mean no paid ads, no paid followers, no auto RTS. I expected this kind of give and take on FB, but am actually seeing it more on twitter and now on instagram which I just joined in May. It's still hard to find enough time to hit all the channels - I don't like most of the auto features available - I don't want to follow back everyone who follows me - some would harm my brand rather than help it and auto RTs might chose a post I disagree with, or since there are a group of my followers who share each other's art or other services, the auto RTs might not share their work, but someone else's. Over time this could lead them to unfollow. I'm curious to know if you think I'm wrong there? Do you recommend that people use a service to RT? I think it contradicts the "personal" touch, though when your followers are in the thousands maybe it makes sense. I'd be interested in your take on that. It would certainly save time. I only use a service to thank my followers and to point them toward other social media. This is a good conversation starter too and has led to some productive relationships. Anyway, I read this article because you followed me on Twitter and I always like to check people out before I follow back. So thanks for the follow and the excellent read!

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David Taylor II

*Musician *Songwriter *Music Producer *Poet *Playwright *Author and *Educator: Adjunct Instructor at SAE Institute & The Intrepid Songwriter™

6y

Couldn't agree more!

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This is a great post and provides a great guideline for anyone looking to get the most out of their social media profile!! Thank you for sharing

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