8 reasons why people aren’t liking or sharing your social media posts

13th, Feb 2019

Many professionals reject social media marketing because they think it takes too much time with little pay off. When they do post articles, they don’t get much of a response, so they feel it doesn’t work. However, social media, like all marketing, is about targeting, consistency, and quality. If you aren’t seeing results in your social media marketing, consider whether some of the following issues may be the problem:

1. You’re not active. Social media is just like networking. You don’t show up occasionally at an event or sit in the corner and expect that you’ll get business from it. You must be visible consistently. Share content regularly – your own and other people’s content. The more you post, the more opportunities to get noticed.

2. The content isn’t interesting to your audience. Who do you want to target with your social media? What do they care about? Your posts should provide helpful or appealing information to them. Focus on what they would consider worthwhile.

3. It’s all one sided. It’s not enough to post something and forget about it. You should look to engage with your audience. For example, tag or mention individuals or organizations in your posts when relevant. Like, share or comment on other people’s content. When you do things to draw positive attention to others, they are more likely to notice you and reciprocate. Also remember if someone makes a substantive comment on your posts, respond to it. You can even ask people to comment on your posts or pose a question for others to answer.

4. There is no visual component. People have short attention spans and studies show that individuals are substantially more likely to respond to visual information than text. So, make sure every post has an image with it – photo, graphic, video, etc.

5. Your timing is bad. There are better and worse times to post content. You can research the optimal times, but remember these are general guidelines. Your individual results may vary so keep track to determine if you have big discrepancies in results. You can use a social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite to schedule your posts in advance.

6. You chose the wrong social media platform. You have to be where your audience is likely to be looking for information and you have to share the right kind of material. For example, LinkedIn is a professional network. Don’t post anything there that you wouldn’t say to your employer or clients.

7. You’re not monitoring your results. Every social media platform lets you see how many people view and engage with your posts. Analyze this regularly for insights into what kind of posts do better than others. You can also test different marketing tactics and gauge the impact. For example, try different headlines, times of day, images, etc. Use your results to make better decisions going forward.

8. You don’t have a plan. None of your marketing should be random. Develop a clear strategy to reach your target audience, reinforce your brand and achieve your objectives. Then set aside appropriate resources (people/time/money/expertise) so it gets done. Otherwise, you will be spending a lot of time to get results which may not mirror your actual goals.

These are just a few examples of issues that may be hurting your online presence. An experienced marketer can give you additional guidance if you are having trouble with your social media marketing efforts.

For more tips on using social media, see Do’s and Don’ts of Using Social Media to Grow Your Business and Social Media Tips For Professional Service Firms.

If you need help with your marketing, contact us for a consultation.

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