Isn’t Social Media Management a Waste of Time?
Of all the areas of running a business that people throw time, money, and care on, social media management isn’t one of them. But with a reliable social media management business to help you, it should be.
Incredibly, adults in the UK will spend the equivalent of more than 22 years of their life online* and over 2.5hrs a day on social media. With that level of usage, it’s fair to assume that everyone should be an expert in managing social media. Add into the equation rising costs of overheads from other areas of business and it’s easy to see why so many decide to take care of their online accounts themselves.
The problem is, successful social media management is so much more than posting a few clever captions here and there, sharing an interesting article, or taking impressive snaps. It involves time, commitment, strategy, and a real understanding of – and expertise in – how to engage your customers. What it most certainly shouldn’t be is an afterthought.
Are you already making the common social media fails that could be avoided with the help of a social media management business?
As a social media management company for small businesses, we get a lot of businesses coming to us having already run the full gamut of social media fails – here are some of the most common we see:
Producing inconsistent, bland content that lacks personality
What you post on social media forms how your customers view your product or service. How do you want to appear? Professional, quirky, knowledgeable, trustworthy, traditional, edgy…? Take time to think about your brand’s ‘voice’ and use it consistently across all your social media posts on every platform you use.
Ignoring the metrics
If you’re going to improve your engagement and grow your following online, you need to keep up with the stats about every move you make on social media. This takes time – if you don’t have it, or are put off at the prospect of trawling through data, invest in a social media management service for small businesses who will do it for you. Either way, don’t avoid those metrics; your business will feel the brunt.
Posting with no strategy
When it comes to personal accounts, we absolutely believe in spontaneity, but a business account is different. You need a plan in place that will keep your business on track and keep your social media accounts working hard on growing engagement at all times. Are your posts shareable? Are you posting at the right time? Don’t leave it to chance, your competitors most definitely won’t be.
Being all or nothing online
Often, we find that business social media accounts either limit themselves to just one or two platforms or join everyone going with little thought as to why they are there and who they are talking to. Choose your platforms wisely based on your business and industry and invest time and effort into each one. An empty shell of a social media account isn’t attractive to anyone, in fact, it can push customers away.
Forgetting that social media accounts should be ‘social’ – even when it comes to business
The best social media accounts are those that don’t just post and switch off but also engage in the online community, connect with other accounts and collaborate on ideas, products, services, and launches. The more active you are in your online community, the wider the audience you will reach and the more valuable the connections you’ll make.
How many times have you posted something on your business account without really considering it, or put off doing anything with your social media because you have a million and one other priorities you need to be getting on with? We get it, we’ve all been there, but that’s where involving an external social media management company for small businesses can really raise the dial. If you want to hit that sweet spot of reaping all the benefits that social media can offer, you really need an online strategy that is consistent, well thought-out, intuitive, and engaging.
If your social media could do with some love, we can give guidance on a whole range of aspects that are at the heart of building a really powerful account including content, frequency, messaging, calls to action, Search engine optimisation services, and even campaigns. If you’re interested in finding out a little more please do get in touch, we’d love to discuss how we could help.
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