Is Social Media Really Working For Your business?

Hey, is social media really working for your business? Or your strategy has been consistent with the popular song, “One day one day, e go better”? Do you feel confused about which platform to be used to promote your business? Baffled as to why you can’t seem to grow your followers?

You have a great business but nobody knows about it or you’re frustrated that the time you spend on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube is not helping you get new customers? You might actually be “on a long thing,” if you're waiting for the God of social media to “bless your hustle” one day.



Social media is all about strategy, and sometimes it can become frustrating and complex if you're not doing it right. One critical question you must answer is, why set up your brand on social media? Is it because your competitors are using social media? Is it because your customers are using social media? Not being able to answer those questions before launching on social media will be a waste of time and money. Like any other project or campaign, you need to have goals and a winning strategy.

 

Chill, Let me assure you that social media can work for your business and it’s important for your business success online. Nevertheless, like I highlighted above, being on popular social media networks like facebook and instagram, using trending hashtags and topics like #KeeptheChangeBae and #TheNigerianSnake, doesn’t automatically guarantee success.  Establishing a social media strategy is more than just posting an update informing people that a new product or service is on sale. It’s more than just sharing a piece of relevant information. A social media strategy is a success when you are able to engage and interact with your target audience.

 

Let’s now highlight why your social media isn’t working for your business and how you can fix it.



Do you know your customers?

 

Not everyone online is your potential customer! Discovering who your audience is would greatly help to optimize your content for them. Understanding their interests, needs, when they come online, and their potential pocket size would reflect in the content you dish out. Let’s say you're running a law firm, and you post contents that is only helpful to students in university, would that lead to sales of the firm’s product and services? Probably no. Outlining your brand’s personas could be the first step in getting social media right.

 

It's important that you figure out how your target audience acts on the social media networks they are active on. Different groups of people behave entirely different on social media. Take the time to learn how your target audience behaves and create content with their behavior in mind. For example, If you are targeting the 50+ age demographic, then a very short and sweet call-to-action to drive them to a very simply landing page is the way to go while Video content has been seen to be engaging with younger audience.Social media is not about you, it’s is more about your customers. Remember, doing the right content will get your the right customer.

 

Sometimes, consulting with Digital Agencies to define your audience segmentation might be the key to success in you social media “hustle”

 

What Social Media Platform(s) is your Brand on?

Neighbour...listen, not every Social media platform is right for your business. You started a company Snapchat account because your niece is on Snapchat, so that means everyone is on Snapchat. Lol. The last thing you want to do is join a social media platform because everyone else is doing it. So many platforms, so little time. Heck, it might be overwhelmingly confusing to choose the right platform for you brand.

 

While a consulting or coaching business can find success on Facebook, Pinterest wouldn't be worth exploring. A fashion store would want to explore Instagram while topic-focused company would excel on Twitter. Where do your audience spend most of their time? Answer this question and you’ve got the answer to the most effective social media platforms for your brand.

 

Figure out where the best opportunities are, commit to mastering the platforms and go all-in.

 

Is your Brand creative and Social?

 

Forget the formal language! People want to see the human side of every brand on social media. Social media users are on those platforms to interact with people, share their experience and meet new friends. Show the human face of you organisation by using words  such as ‘hassle’, ‘sorry’ and ‘look into’ instead of formal words like ‘inconvenience’, ‘apologies’ and ‘investigate’. Be consistent with your brand message/voice and creativity, engage users via inbox and incorporate memes, emojis and slangs to you marketing messages.

 

So many companies, in an attempt to keep up professional appearances, maintain a very formal business language across all channels. They forget that you can still be creative, friendly and informal without coming across as unprofessional. “Slide into DMs” and don’t forget to be social. Use hashtags and connect trending topics to your brand.

 

Read our article on hashtags and social media marketing to understand how to align your marketing with creativity.

 

Do you have a Social Media Marketing Budget?

 

Social media marketing is not free! I know you’ve heard of the cliche “awoof dey run belle”. Yes, opening accounts on these platforms is free, posting is free, but making it work for your brand might require you drop some money. You do not have to have as much as “30 billion for the account” for social media to work for your brand. Depending on your brand goal, either you want to drive sales or increase brand awareness, you might want to try paid advertising (Facebook Ads or Boosted Posts, Twitter for business), graphics and video production, social media management tools (Sprout Social or Hootsuite), campaigns and promotions, and content.

 

Your return on Investment is a key indicator of social media working for your brand. Don’t try to be a superhero by trying to handle all the technicalities of your social media marketing. Yes, that's probably why you’re failing at social media marketing. There’s no one size fits all approach when it comes to creating a budget for social media marketing. That’s the beauty and challenge of social media. You can do some experimenting with paid social advertising for a hundred bucks. Agencies would help sort out measurement and analytics, content curation and creation, campaigns and promotions, which ultimately will provide the winning formula for a successful social media marketing for your brand.

 

Edubridge Consultants Limited is a Digital marketing Agency that cares about making social media work for your business. We can help you monitor for conversations, publish content, connect with your community, and track and control your spending against performance. Send a brief today and let’s begin the rollercoaster ride to success.