6 Reasons So Many Small Businesses Fail at Social Media

Social media is an integral part of our daily lives. According to Pew Research Center, 72% of the American public uses at least one social media platform. Social media marketing is critical to any company’s marketing strategy because it’s essential to connect with potential customers. Companies have business plans but fail to include digital marketing plans. Following well-thought-out digital marketing plans like this free plan<link to lead magnet> can transform your business. Simply having social media accounts isn’t enough – brands can’t simply set up pages and make little to no effort on their social media digital marketing strategy. They must make a genuine effort to engage their audiences and promote their social media pages. This is especially true for small businesses as they must keep up with their competitors. The following are some major mistakes companies make and how to avoid them. Keep reading for insight into social media for small businesses.

1. They Don’t Have a Social Media Marketing Plan

Businesses may have an overall marketing plan, but many don’t apply the same concept to social media marketing. However, social media marketing plans and strategies are essential for growth. A clear and focused social media marketing plan will guide your strategy and ensure you reach the right audience. This includes determining your target audience, conducting competition research and keyword research, creating buyer personas, finalizing content calendars, and narrowing down social media platforms to focus on.

2. They Don’t Use the Right Platforms

Not every platform is right for your business. Different platforms cater to different audiences. Businesses make the mistake of focusing on every platform and, thus, fail to prioritize the ones with the highest return on investment. Your social media digital marketing plan should include which social media platforms to focus on. If you’re targeting Gen Z, TikTok and Instagram are great options. If you’re targeting Generation X or baby boomers, Facebook may be the way to go. Platform selection also depends on your product or service – beauty content may perform well on Instagram, but B2B services may be better suited to LinkedIn.

3. They Don’t Post Consistently

Even if you have a social media presence, you can’t take full advantage of it if you don’t post consistently. If you’re not posting for long periods, followers may consider your account inactive and unfollow you. Additionally, you may post content that doesn’t align with your company or isn’t consistent with your brand’s values. Perhaps your content is a complete departure from your previous posts, or Thus, it’s important to prioritize continuity and consistency. In addition to providing value-added content instead of simply advertisements, make sure you stick to a posting schedule. Your plan and content calendar will be helpful in this. If you’re busy and can’t post consistently, set up posts in advance and schedule them. You can also post different kinds of content to engage your audience while still keeping days consistent. For example, you can devote Mondays to a meme, focusing on informative posts on Tuesdays, post user-generated content on Wednesdays, etc.

4. They Use the Spray and Pray Method

Using the spray and pray method is a surefire way to lose your audience’s interest. Don’t just set up a profile and ignore your audience – interact with them to boost engagement. Conduct surveys and polls and respond to their queries. Tag people and brands and ensure positive interaction by responding to user comments. This also applies to negative comments. Respond appropriately to create a positive experience for not only the commenter but also others who see the comment.

5. They Don’t Promote Their Social Media Pages

Some businesses simply set up their social media pages and expect followers to find them organically. The truth is that this is unlikely to work. Businesses should take an active role in promoting their social media pages. Whether it’s through paid advertising or simply inviting people to like and follow your pages, this is critical to attracting potential customers. Social media marketing for small businesses shouldn’t be an afterthought – it should be included in promotional materials such as newsletters, on your website, etc.

6. They Lack a Budget for Social Media Marketing

Even if businesses want to invest in social media marketing, they either lack a budget or don’t know how much to spend. While there’s no definitive answer to this, the rule of thumb is 2-5% of their marketing budget for B2B companies and 5-10% of their marketing budget for B2C companies. In order to determine how much you should be spending, take a look at others within the industry – a little bit of research can go a long way in ensuring you’re spending the right amount. It’s also useful to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based) goals and spend accordingly. This ensures you have a concrete plan that covers all avenues. In addition to this, companies should allocate their social media digital marketing budget with costs in mind. With this, they can keep track of their costs and adjust their budget according to the results they see.

Boost Your Awareness, Sales, and Revenue

As previously mentioned, it’s not enough to have a social media presence. The key to successful social media digital marketing is to optimize your use of social media to raise brand awareness, boost sales, and grow as a business. Additionally, it’s important to note that you can’t call it a day after minimal effort – if you want to maximize your return on investment, you have to commit to building your social media presence. This will pay dividends in the long run. Even if you’re a small business and can’t afford to devote too much time to social media marketing, don’t worry. Experienced digital marketing companies can take care of social media marketing for you. Social media marketing can be challenging because it requires time and resources, which is why many companies focus on their business operations and leave digital marketing to the experts. Words Sell offers affordable intro packages, which include social media posting and advertising on different social media platforms. Partner with us and take your social media marketing to the next level.