Do you follow any companies on social media whose posts make you wonder, “Are there any actual humans working there?”
You know the kind of company. It’s the one that posts all day but never responds to questions or feedback in the comments. It’s the type of company that makes you wonder, “Do they even care?”
Now it time to ask, is this how your company does social media? Be honest.
If not, do a little dance and pat yourself on the back! If so, it’s not too late to change.
Sure, we’re experts on outbound strategy, but we know that social selling and proactive inbound marketing is super important. We also believe that well-balanced inbound and outbound marketing strategies are a match made in heaven. Working on both in tandem, your company’s business development team can produce amazing results.
If you’re posting regularly and aren’t generating leads through your social media pages, you may be doing (or not doing) a few things that are hindering your progress.
Check out this list to see if that’s the case, and don’t worry – there’s hope!
1 – More than 70% of your posts are scheduled far out in advance.
We know you need to schedule most of your posts. It’s an absolute necessity.
But you can’t pre-plan them all. Some of your posts need to be spontaneous, mention current events, or connect with your community where they are in the moment.
Often, relevant, spontaneous posts are the ones that people connect to most. It’s hard to achieve that connection when your primary purpose is to ensure you have a plan and think of something to say three days or three weeks out, and especially a few months out so that your posts auto-scheduling.
2 – You seldom scroll through your feed.
Are you out of touch with your audience?
If you never scroll through your feed to see what everyone else is talking about – or are interested in, how can you even know what to share with them?
Imagine walking up to a group of people deep in conversation about the job market and abruptly interrupting, “I have a great offer available on shoes right now!”
Does it sound silly? Of course, it does. But sadly, that’s what you’re doing by never checking to see what everyone else is up to and only logging in to post what you want them to see.
3 – You can’t remember the last time you liked, commented, or reacted to another person’s post.
Consequently, this is what happens when you never scroll through your feed.
For some reason, some people on social media are selfish with their recognition of others. There are others that only interact with others’ content to get attention for themselves.
Don’t be self-centered on social media! Engage with your community, add to it, and be a real part of making it useful for everyone.
4- You don’t even notice or respond when your followers like or comment on your posts.
A simple analogy might make this easy to understand.
If you do a great job at the office and one of your colleagues takes the time to recognize you, would you stare at them blankly? Would you say nothing and walk away?
Of course, you wouldn’t because that would be rude.
If you get so much engagement that you can’t keep up, this doesn’t apply, and most likely, you wouldn’t be reading this article. I’m talking to the person that’s trying to grow their social media page and doesn’t take the time to answer the few comments they get here and there.
5- Most of your pictures, quotes, or memes are borrowed from somewhere else.
If all of your posts are quotes by Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller, Gary Vaynerchuk, or any other famous person of influence, we’ve already seen them you’re posting at least a few times before.
Quoting someone else is cool now from time to time, but if that’s all you do, it will get old.
6 – You barely review your analytics summaries.
Again, a lack of interest in your followers and their activity is not good.
Invest in them, and they’ll invest in you. Check out your analytics regularly to understand who your fans are and do an even better job reaching them.
7 – You don’t receive notifications from your followers very often.
You’re posting every day multiple times, but no one seems to notice. This means that either people don’t see your posts or what you’re posting is not attractive.
If you’re not getting any notifications from engagement, you might be robo-posting. You must pause and figure out what the problem is.
8 -Your content is short on posts about current events.
Temperatures are reaching record highs and lows all around the country. The Superbowl is coming up. There are holidays, birthdays, and seasons to be acknowledged. But all your posts are about signing up for your newsletter or calling you for a free consultation. Why?
Show people that you’re real. You’re living a life that’s real, and you want your audience to be part of it. You want to be a part of their lives, too.
Be relevant.
9 – Your content lacks variety and is plain dull.
I’ve strongly hinted at this throughout this post, and now I’ll be direct.
You need to move your audience, and running a highly automated social page is just not going to do it. They want to know you. Don’t afraid to not be robotic. Go ahead and show us your heart and soul!
What has your experience with social media been? Is it useful for bringing you quality leads? Why or why not?
Or, if you want to know more about how a sweet social selling strategy can work with a well-timed outbound campaign, let us know in the comments. We’ll be glad to continue the conversation with you!