by Caitlin Moore
I have a complaint, a grievance, a grouse, if you will.
It’s when pages go to…the dark side.
That is to say, they go completely quiet. Sometimes for days, other times for months and, yes – even years.
Each week, I reach out to cross promote from my clients’ pages and each week, I am met with silence from at least ONE of their business affiliate’s pages. Even now, in a world where Facebook is reaching almost as many Millennials as cable television, pages are left neglected.
It isn’t just happening on Facebook – it is happening on all different social media platforms, in all types of industries. Today, I am here to implore you, please, help prevent a neglected social media platform!
When Good Pages, Go Bad.
So a few years back, you started a big push to gain traction on social media because you likely recognized a need, or perhaps your competition was already ahead of you in this respect. You came up with a few marketing goals, but never really outlined anything definitive. Over time, a lack of goals led the enthusiasm to die and with it, your posts. They became infrequent, unimaginative, and then tragically, were reduced to “Happy Holidays” once a month in keeping with the season until finally, nothing. Not a peep. For three whole years, your business’ Facebook remained inactive. (Okay, maybe not three whole years, but I have seen it).
While there are and can legitimately be a myriad of reasons why these things happen, most often I hear things like, “We know we should be doing more on social media, but [insert valid excuse here].”
Often times, these excuses are chalked up to a lack of know-how or time.
I am here to defiantly say to you straight away – baby steps, young Padawan. The least you could do is clean up the spam on your social media.
Think of it like this: a lack of a response on a social media platform from a brand is almost like having a one-way conversation with a friend. Would you continue to talk to someone if they never talked back? Awkward, right? This is essentially what you are doing to your online community.
The reason you did not experience continued success on your social media, and I would be willing to put money on it, was likely due to a lack of content strategy. Was there a content outline for posts? Did it support your other marketing efforts concurrently? Did you remain on schedule? (Were there even goals in the first place)? If you don’t think social media is working for your business, first perform an analysis of your goals when you started and compare them to your statistics now. Then, measure the amount of effort you put into the initiative originally and compare over time. Could you have achievedmore, given the proper implementation of a content strategy? Was there a designated person to this task? How much did you stress the importance, or did you treat it too casually? Lastly, compare your marketing goals now. Is there still a place for your business on social media? Could you accomplish those goals now, knowing what you know today?
To Be Considered
During your analysis, try to keep in mind the following about social media in today’s world:
- Social media can act as a pre-sale activity. Users can use your social media platforms to learn about you, your products/services and to see how active you are in addressing your clients’ questions.
- Social media is largely customer-facing (for most brands). Is this level of interaction attainable in other ways?
- Social media is real-time. How quickly can you address these types of questions in traditional formats?
Ask yourself, “If I were my own customer, what would I think of this experience I have provided? Do I have all of the answers I need? Would I interact with this page?” Actively try to think of these questions and answer them before your client even has a chance to ask. The more information a client has on yourproduct or service, the more likely you are to complete a sale with that client. Were you previously active in answering your fans’ questions, or did many of them go unnoticed?
Relationship Marketing 101
So you have performed your analysis, but you’re still having a hard time justifying your business on social media. That’s fine, I understand. Sometimes, it’s just not meant for certain industries. However, have you considered what social media could do for your business’ reputation, beyond sales?
Don’t get me wrong, sales are important. That’s why you’re here, right?
Having an active social media is really about creating a community of customers who cheer for you. Your product or service provides them a greater level of satisfaction than others, so why wouldn’t you wantto shout that out to the masses? In addition, by addressing your community’s needs in real-time, you create a sense of reliability. Addressing customer concerns right away leads to more customer retention in the long run. Even if your social media isn’t translating into new customers, it can be a very important tool in retaining them!
Social media can also be a great first look for potential customers. Perhaps a customer is apprehensive about a product or service. Your social media provides them the overview of your company’s services, attitude and, when using a properly executed content strategy, a look behind-the-scenes they may not otherwise get.
If you’re still struggling to conceptualize how social media could benefit your business, consider the added value to the consumer you could provide. What kind of advice can you give? Does your product or service do something others can’t do? Does it do so more efficiently? Don’t tell us outright, that comes across as bragging. Explain in layman’s terms how we should consider your service over others and why it is important.
Stay Consistent
Whatever decision you do make, stick to it! Read our blog about discipline in posting for ideas on creating a content strategy and schedule to get you back on track!
Remember: Always be yourself. Unless you can be a Jedi. Then always be a Jedi.