6 Reasons Why Social Media Hasn't Worked For You & How to Solve That -

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Social Media, you love it, you hate it. Right? You know it’s possible to build a business entirely with Social Media but you haven’t seen it work for you. That might be why you’re here since the title of this post is 6 Reasons Why Social Media hasn’t worked for You & How to Solve That! 🙂

(P.S. – There are tons of free resources for you to download throughout this post that will be a major help to you)

The truth is that Social Media can work for any business! ANY business – I’ve seen it work for financial professionals, dog groomers, mechanics, and more. I’ve also talked with hundreds of entrepreneurs who it “hasn’t worked for.” But, it’s not the social media that hasn’t worked – in fact, it’s the other way around! It’s that we haven’t used social media the RIGHT way and that’s why you may not see the results you want.

After digging deep into the idea that social media doesn’t work, almost always, it comes down to these 6 reasons. Let’s look at each reason and then talk about how to fix it.

The number one reason Social Media hasn’t worked for you is because…

1) You Don’t Know How to Use It – It’s true! If you don’t know how to post correctly, it you don’t post the correct content, even if the images you’re posting are the wrong size – people will see this and it can actually hurt your brand!

I won’t lie, there is a lot to know that may seem overwhelming…at first. But, once you learn exactly how to do it, it becomes a habit and before you know it, you’re a master.

The FIX:

Choose Your Platform – Start small, pick one or two social networks to have a presence. This way you can learn how each one works in detail, instead of knowing a little bit about each network. Choose a platform that you know your target market is hanging out on. There are different demographics of users on every social network so you have to do a little research first to decide where you need to be.

Optimize Your Social Media Profiles (Free Checklist for You Here)

Learn the proper post structure for posts including image sizes, adding links, and post formatting.

For example: Twitter is 140 characters max. You would include a shortened link (bit.ly or buff.ly), Add a proper sized image. Add Relevant Hashtags & Keywords for searchability.

Here’s an example of a properly formatted post / specific to the social network

Brand Brand Brand Yourself – This is SO important! This is more than a logo, this is your entire online presence. Make it count. Really, Really count. (Grab the Free Branding Guide Here.)
Share AMAZING Content – There is no other way to win people over then to provide them with an unlimited supply of value. You have to create and curate content that will attract fans.

I cover this entirely in Go Social!, showing you exactly how to create content that sells, it makes a world of difference. (Oh, and here’s a list of 20 types of content you can be sharing.)

Post at the Very BEST Time– Review your analytics and determine the optimal time to publish your post. Each platform has its very own tools to measure the time your fans are online – use this data and plan your posting strategically.

For example: If you know most of your fans are on Facebook, Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. – that would be the perfect time to post your update to ensure the most people possible see your post.

I know you might be thinking of a post you saw online somewhere that tells you the best time to post on social media – Sorry, but, you can’t use that. You can’t use what someone else says is their best time to post – since every page is different, every fan base is different, your posting time will be different than anyone else’s.

To find this data specific to your networks and your followers, use the following tools: Facebook = Insights. Twitter = Tweriod. Pinterest = Tailwind. Instagram = Iconosquare.

Calls to Action – If you want people to take action on your social media, you have to tell them to take action. This can be as simple as – “Contact Us Today” or “Click Here to Learn More.”

Or, you can add in some personality! Get your fans interested, entice them with what’s next! “Grab your free coupon now before they expire” “You don’t want to miss this, grab your free guide!”

The Tone It Up Girls do a great job including a Call to Action in their post. See each post they give their fans something to do, an action to take: “Sign Up at Toneitup.com” and “Watch HERE!”

If you want your fans to do something, give that a gentle nudge. They’re much more likely to take action when you ask.

Monitoring – Check your comments and posts on your page. Moderate if necessary, delete any spam. Block or remove anyone being disruptive.

Social Listening – Stay tuned to what is being said about you and your brand. How do you know when people are talking about you? I use a great tool called Mention. They email me every time someone mentions my business name or leaves a comment on my social networks. It’s pretty brilliant and a huge time saver for me!

Measuring – Check your metrics. What’s working for you, what’s not? There is so much data you can review. Account growth, post impressions, post clicks, email subscribers, sales, fan demographics. Dig deep here to find out what’s performing well so you can amplify those results.

Did you post something that gained a lot of fans? Post more of that.
Did you post something that lost a lot of fans? Stop posting that. 🙂

Be Social – THIS is a biggie, guys. You can’t just automate your social and run. If you want success on social media, you have to BE SOCIAL on SOCIAL. Use the mention.com emails to see who is mentioning you, sharing your brand or blog posts. Thank them individually. Engage with people who leave you comments.

These wonderful people have decided to spend their precious time talking or engaging with your brand. To me, that’s a big deal! Take the time to let them know you appreciate and value them!

If you want a community of people to love your brand, you have to value them – any time someone takes time to engage with your brand, THAT is someone who deserves your time.

How ya feeling? I know it’s a lot, but I promise, once you have your roadmap, executing it is easy. I teach this extensively in Go Social! with simplified tutorials that will give you all the tools you need to really excel in each of these areas so your social media truly does the work for you. You can learn more about it here.

Moving on to Number TWO!

2) You Haven’t Been Consistent – Lack of consistency is another reason social media is not working for you. I see this a lot and it’s a brand killer. If you’re not posting daily, even weekly, you will have a very hard time keeping fans interested.

Maybe you only post when you have a promotion or tweet when you think of it…but weeks go by with nothing. Your profiles look abandoned!

Potential customers will scope out your social media before they buy from you. It’s a fact and if they see you haven’t posted in a long time, you have an account that has no interaction, they will be turned off and that’s’ not the type of first impression we want to make.

In order to create a community, you have to be visible. Your fans have to see you. You know that old saying, “out of sight, out of mind?” it’s especially true on social media. With a consistent presence, people will get used to seeing you and interacting with you which is a HUGE win for your brand.

So how can we fix it?

The FIX:

Create a posting calendar or use this done for you social media calendar and template. This takes the hard part of deciding what to post out of the equation so you can post at least once a day.
Keep resources to pull content you can share from.

I created a list of 10 different websites & Facebook pages that are relevant to my business. When I need to find content to share, I refer to this list. Since they’re relevant to my business, I know this is the same type of content my fans will find valuable so it’s a win win. (Win #1 – I didn’t have to create the content & Win #2 – I know my fans will enjoy it!)

Use a Pinterest Board. Along with my resource list, I keep a secret Pinterest board where I save articles and various content I think my fans will like. You can put month’s worth of ideas in this board to pull from when you need it.

Commit to Social Media – This is the most important part. If you want social media to work for you, you have to (HAVE TO) use it consistently. Be there, be present, be social 🙂

3) You Don’t Have a Strategy – If you’re going to hit your goals with social media, you have to have a strategy! Your strategy is going to be the actionable roadmap you use to get you to your goals. Without it, you’re just driving aimlessly hoping things work out.

An actual plan will make all the difference. This plan will cover what your goals are so you know what you’re trying to reach. It will tell you how to go from A – Z! You will also set up what you need to post that month, when, where, and how to post it.

For Example: Are you introducing a new product? You’ll need to share this multiple times with your fans! Schedule these promos to your monthly strategy to ensure they get posted!

The FIX:

Creating a social media strategy does not have to be complicated. In fact, I have a post that will not only help you create an entire social media strategy that gets results BUT you can also grab the Free Done For You Social Media Strategy to download and use.

Cruisin right along!

4) You Don’t Have Time – This one, I get it. Big time. I’m a mom of 3, and it took me a while to find the right balance with social media. The thing that really changed it all – creating a system to be on social media.

Being a business owner is a lot of work and adding in social media – posting multiple times a day on multiple networks, creating content, finding content – it can get overwhelming if you haven’t take time to create a scheduled system.

The FIX:

Pre-Scheduling is your new best friend.

Here’s what I do:

Sunday I gather and create ALL my content. This includes graphics I’m sharing on social media, curated content from others, my business promo’s, and any articles I’ve written.

I plan it all out on a social media calendar so I have at least 2 posts a day on Facebook, 2 Tweets a Day, 10 Pins a Day, and 1 Instagram every few days. (Hang with me, I know it sounds like a lot)

This is where the pre-scheduling is a major game changer.

I schedule everything on Facebook – usually about 2 weeks of content.

I have my Facebook page connected to my Twitter account so that ensures there is content being posted.

I use HootSuite to schedule out my blog posts on Twitter using the custom graphics I make for my blog. I also sprinkle in motivational quotes for variety.

I use the social media graphics I’ve posted to Facebook – and I post them to Instagram throughout the week.

Pinterest – I like at least 10 pins to be posted a day. I use a tool called BoardBooster to do this for me. On Sunday, when I’m doing my content gathering, I pop over to Pinterest and pin a TON of content. BoardBooster then schedules it out over the week. I also recycle my Pinterest content so older pins are repinned with the “Loop” function on BoardBooster. This guarantees I meet my minimum 10 pins a day.

Each Day I spend 15 minutes in the morning and 20 at night being social.

I check all tweets and any article shares. I thank everyone for sharing – individually connecting with each person because it’s awesome they’ve shared my content and I truly appreciate it!

I monitor and engage in comments. If anyone has left any comments, I’ll comment back either thanking them or engaging with them.

I go to other people’s profiles and accounts and engage with them there. I like their posts, I favorite their tweets, I repin their pins. (This is also a great way to find content to share with your fans!)

At night, I’ll add more pins to the que so there is always a stream ready to pin.

I’ll check mentions to make sure I haven’t missed any engagement and respond where necessary.

5) You Stopped Using It- If this is you, you’ve completely written social media off. You’ve tried it, didn’t get any results or decided you just don’t have time to make it happen so you’re done.

Ok, first, let me just remind you that social media WILL, absolutely, without a doubt, bring you more business. Even if you haven’t had results before, know that there is no better time to wipe the dust off the old social media profiles and get back on the saddle.

With any business, marketing, or advertising – you have to put in the work to get the rewards. I want you to get those rewards from social media because I know it’s possible. I’ve seen it, I’ve done it, and you can too!

The FIX:

Start today by making the commitment to using social media.

Read the fix to #1 again and learn more about how to use social media to get results.

Create a calendar and pre schedule your content.

Just DO It. Know that those results you desire can be achieved when you get in there and get social.

6) You haven’t taken Go Social! – If you haven’t seen the results you want with social media, I can guarantee you haven’t taken Go Social! yet. This e-course was made for YOU.

For the business owners who struggled with social media, who haven’t seen any results, who don’t know how to navigate it all – and people who want to simplify social media and get results.

I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed with social media and I spent years (over 5 years!) learning, testing, strategizing, and measuring to come up with the perfect system that works.

The FIX:

Go Social! I combined easy to understand tutorials showing you how to use the platforms with advanced strategies showing you the social media sales process.

Think of it as social media university for your business. When you’re finished, you’ll graduate from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram marketing. It’s all about giving you the skills you need to market your business, grow your community, drive massive traffic, and you know…turn a profit – using the free tool you have available to you: SOCIAL MEDIA.

Learn More About Go Social! Here