When social media doesn't work, people blame social media. Unfortunately, you may not see the desired results for a few reasons. Let's review some of the reasons and then a simple checklist for you to boost your social media strategy this year.
Note: This was written with service-based businesses in mind.
5 Reasons your social media isn't working:
Your social media isn't good. We all have a friend who complains that their social media isn't working. When you take a look, YOU know why it's not working. It sucks. We need to be honest with ourselves. Our social media might not be good!
Unclear target audience. A client told me, "We target all small businesses with less than 500 employees in this location."
Needless to say, his target audience was unclear, so his marketing was unclear. You're less likely to produce results when talking to such a broad audience.
No consistency. I KNOW it's hard. If you post one a month, you won't get far. Think of social media like going to the gym - the more consistent, the better the results.
Wrong platform. You may be using the wrong platform to reach your audience. Is your audience really on Instagram, or are they on LinkedIn?
No sales process. Social media isn't what it used to be 7 years ago. Leads won't fall into your lap. You need to talk to leads. Social media gets them in your audience and then you need to figure out how to convert them to a call. Do they sign up for a newsletter? Do you retarget them once they engage? Do you talk to them in the DMs? Most small businesses do not have a sales process!
For Better Social Media Strategy Answer these 10 Questions:
For a better social media strategy, we will step back from your social media. We need to examine your service-based business.
What product/service are you selling? What problem does it solve? If you do not have an answer, you need to do research. Ask your customers, prospects, ChatGPT, and Google. Without this answer, you cannot move forward.
Who is your target audience? Tell me what you know about them. Do not guess. This should be based on research or previous clients.
What platform will you post content? Why this platform? Choose a platform where your audience will actually see your content. Don't choose Instagram, for example, because that is your favorite platform.
What media will you use (video, text, images)? From experience, every audience prefers one media over another. I recommend trying as many media types as possible and seeing which one your audience resonates with the most.
How do you qualify a lead? For example, a lawyer might qualify a lead by someone who books a consultation directly in their calendar. You need to determine what that point is for your prospect. What action do they need to take for you to consider them a lead? Consider the platform you use when considering this part of the customer journey. For example, LinkedIn might take some more nurturing to get them to a “consultation.” Consider everything that needs to be done to get them to become a qualified lead. This is an important part of your sales process.
Now, let's move on to your social media content.
What is the outcome of people consuming your content? What is the transformation? What will happen if they read your content? This is an important question because the answer to this question is why they should follow you.
Will you entertain, inspire, or educate your audience? Determine how you want to appear online. Make sure your audience leaves your post with"value." I define "value" as something they could apply immediately after reading your post. The sooner they could use it, the more "value."
What are the 10 things your audience needs help with? Break down what you are teaching them into 10 subtopics. Think about questions your target audience has asked you in the past. Look online for what people are asking about this product or service.
How will you convey your message in a post? Whether you create videos, images, or text posts, you will need to write out the post. Examples include using an analogy, a listicle, an analytical, actionable process, a one-liner, or pros and cons.
How will you address every part of the customer journey? You must create content for the 3 phases of the customer journey - awareness, nurture, and sell/capture. You want to have the most awareness and nurture posts, with sell/capturing posts only being around 10% of the time.
I use these questions for every single one of my clients. If you need help going through these questions for your business, book a free 15-minute call here.
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