I have a theory about the current state of social media… I don’t have statistical data or lots of numbers to prove it; it’s just a gut feeling. If you’re a small business, surely you’ve tried using social media as a tool to promote your brand, increase awareness, gain customers and even drive sales. And you probably want to pull your hair out daily, as you try to navigate new algorithms and what’s new on social media. Day after day we hear new strategies and tactics to get more “likes” or interaction on our posts. What’s a small biz to do to keep up?
Here’s what I’m thinking…
It’s obviously important to get those likes, especially since the ‘social media gods’ tell us we have to. But I don’t think you should be totally discouraged if you aren’t. Here’s why: people are still seeing (and maybe even liking) your activity – they just may not be clicking the heart or the thumbs up button to let the world know.
Why not, you ask?
Well, there are lots of reasons… perhaps they liked your post on Facebook, then hopped over to Instagram (or vice versa) and felt like that would be too “stalker-ish” if they liked your post there too. People might start to think you have nothing better to do than scroll through your social media accounts.
Perhaps they saw it, and thought it was okay, but are kind of tired of your content because it’s always the same… but they still saw it. And you still made an impression. It just may not show up in your analytics as a “like”. (Hint: if this is happening a lot, it might be time for a new content strategy.)
Maybe people are getting even lazier. We know we only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention on social media. No one wants to wait for anything anymore. But what if we’ve become so attention deficit that we aren’t even taking the time to click “like” anymore?
And, some of you might not like this, but maybe your audience is growing tired of all the self-promotion. It might be a bit snarky of me to think this way, but I’ve grown tired of seeing photos of the same beautiful people promoting how wonderful their brand is. I get it, you’re adorable and successful… but what’s in it for me? (Hint: if this seems to be the case for you, it’s time to rethink your strategy.)
So, what does this all mean?
It means don’t give up, and don’t be discouraged. Rethink your strategy. Mix it up. Try a different angle. Social media is still a valuable tool – I’d even go as far as to say it’s critical to your marketing strategy. So stick with it and keep trying new things. (Hint: if you need some help, give us a call!)
DARCI Creative
Total Brand Agency
