Before you join the throng of companies and use your limited time and money in your desire to make your social media efforts succeed, follow THIS quick audit first.
Why?
You don’t want to waste your social media efforts, do you?
Also, the quick marketing audit can help you set realistic expectations in having a winning social media marketing strategy that will make waves online.
Note: Social media marketing has several components that company of any size needs to factor in. You may have all the elements already in place without your knowing it; hence this quick social media audit may be beneficial to you.
Also, past the infographic, you will find my thoughts on objections that I often hear from CEOs and business owners whose social media efforts, for some, reason have not driven traffic to their site, grow social media engagement and gather more leads.
Social Media Efforts Audit Questions
Here are the issues in the infographic that you can follow along:
- Are you patient?
- Do you have someone with several hours per week to dedicate to it?
- Are you willing to share other people’s content on your social channels?
- Do you create any original content that is not product-related? Is it available on your website?
- Are you able to handle and respond to public criticism?
- Do you have a way to convert visitors who come to your website?
- Can you find people talking about your industry on social media sites?
Discuss your answers with your team to craft your best plan of action and options.
Also, discuss any gaps.
Talking about realistic expectations, here are some reality checks that you may need to think through with your team as well.
“Dear Social Media Cynics & Laggers”
I am looking at the cynics and laggers. These are common social media objections that I hear from business owners and CEOs that I interviewed.
Objection 1:
#012b5e
Here’s what I know, you cannot control a social media platform’s mysterious algorithm, but you can control engagement.
You. Can. Control. Engagement.
Objection 2:
No need for us to be there. That’s for business to consumer type of companies (B2C), not us. We are a business-to-business company (B2B).
Not according to this study by CMI for B2B’s in 2016:
B2B marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy get better results from their content marketing tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods of content distribution (i.e., they rate them as more effective when compared with their peers who don’t have a documented strategy).
Objection 3:
We tried it! It never worked.
What did you try exactly? How did you do it? Where did you try it? Moreover, what were your benchmarks? How often do you track those? How long did you try it?
Document what you do, and use that information to decide your next course of action. Share it with your team.
Unsure about what you are doing? Contact someone experienced to take a look at your strategy.
Objection 4:
What???!!! That much for social media management? I do not even know if that will work.
This should make one realize that time is NOT cheap – yours, nor your social media specialists.
Tools that your social media marketers use aren’t cheap, either.
Also, there is a premium tag to knowledge and experience. You do not go to an optometrist when you know that something is medically wrong with your eyes, do you? You go to an expert, an ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologists charge more! I don’t mind that. It’s MY eyes. That “eye analogy” came from a recent experience.
Lastly, yes social media has such a low entry barrier that anyone can call his/her self themselves as a ninja, maven, or expert. Do your research.
Of course, there is no shortage of the amount of information out there that you can plow through, and in time you will finally (!) figure it out, until something changes again (for the nth time) in Facebook, Instagram, etc. However, isn’t that pricey-er? You are supposed to devote your time more on developing your business and specialty, not in learning social media, right? Well, unless you are switching profession? 😀
Objection 5:
I already have a website. That should be enough.
Peter Roesler said it well, “A website establishes that a brand exists, but a social media page establishes that the brand is active.”
I will just leave that there.
Now, looking at YOU: do you think your social media efforts will succeed?
Check out our social media marketing business services if you want to scale your growth to get more engagement, traffic, and leads.
