You aren’t seeing results. You aren’t seeing engagement. You can’t seem to figure out why your social media channels aren’t helping you gain more awareness in your industry. Well, I’m here to explain why you may be having these challenges and a few tips on how you can improve.

First off, do you have a social media strategy? If not, that’s your first mistake. Social media is a fun environment that can be more personal than other channels, but there still needs to be a plan of execution behind the content that you’re posting. When you post content on social media, you have to post with a purpose. On that note, let’s move on to the next section.

Many social media strategies fail or perform badly when there is no clear vision or goal associated with it. Why are you posting on Instagram today? Why did you post on Facebook yesterday? If you can’t answer these questions, then you need to take a minute to write down your objectives for social media. Write and think about your goals and how you want to reach them through your content. If your goal is to generate leads for example, then develop a strategy for how you’re going to get users to click and convert. Always post with a purpose, keep your goals in mind, and it should help users feel more inclined to engage with your content. 

Next up, your brand’s aesthetic. What does your feed currently look like? Does it match your brand’s identity, color scheme, or messaging? If not, this can be a turn off to users looking at your profiles, especially on platforms like Instagram. Developing an online brand identity will help users find and get to know who you are much quicker. Create your voice and personality based on your brand’s core values. This will help you stand out from your competitors and make creating content much simpler.

A third reason, you’re not engaging with your online community. Motivating users to interact with your content is so important. You can see results from asking questions, encouraging feedback, or running giveaways. Along with that, you should be active in social media feeds by interacting with posts, engaging in group pages, or starting conversations. I know, social media feels like a full time job, but this step is crucial for your brand’s potential to grow online.

The fourth reason, but not the last of possible reasons, is you aren’t analyzing your current strategy or post insights. Everything you post will have an engagement rate, and some sort of analytics behind it. You need to check this! This is how you determine what posts are performing well, and what posts are not. Check your insights on Facebook to determine peak times when your audience is online. Check which content type is receiving the most engagement, is video performing better than photos? Analyze your current strategy, what is going well and what isn’t. Determine where you are and where you want to be, then set up an updated strategy with goals that align with your business. 

Although social media can be different for everyone, a strategy must always be in place that works for you and your company. Take the time to understand the platforms you’re on, engage with your audiences, and as always, post with a purpose. 

Keywords: social media, strategy, content