Let's face it, social media is no longer social.
It has become a crowded landscape where engagement is often low, and users are bombarded with an endless stream of sales pitches.
But why is this? And how can brands learn from the mistakes often made? Here are some key insights.
1. Influencers Are Not Numbers
Influencers have become an essential part of social media marketing, but many brands make the mistake of valuing them based on their numbers.
The truth is, numbers don't tell the whole story. Instead, it's essential to look at how verbal and social influencers are with their followers.
The best way to understand the level of their audience is by analyzing the comments section. You can get valuable insights into the influencer's audience and their engagement levels.
2. Social Strategist vs Social Media Manager
Another common mistake is mixing up the roles of social strategist and social media manager.
Social media managers are responsible for being more social with the potential buyers and existing audience.
On the other hand, social strategists should share their vision on how to use social media as a marketing channel.
If you want to avoid this pitfall, teach your social media manager about your OKRs and buyer personas.
3. Online Communities Are Not the Future
Many social media companies promote the idea that online communities are the future, but this is not necessarily the case.
Based on our research, many community channels are either dead or hardly active. The issue is often a dictatorship-like strategy, where the company shares its content and ideas, limiting the topic of discussions.
Communities grow if you listen and respond, not by commands. The key to great brand presence lies in building a better space for discussion on 'dark social' platforms like Discord or Slack.
4. Harsh Truth About Organic Reach
Social media platforms are designed to favor content that generates engagement, with likes playing a crucial role in organic reach.
That's why brands should follow the 80:20 rule when it comes to content strategy.
80% of the time, create content for people with the intent to increase brand engagement.
20% of the time, create content for algorithms to tap into new audiences. This is achievable through broad content like industry trends, meme content, and broad content.
5. Social Media = Personalized Media
More and more brands are making decisions based on the goal of achieving X numbers on social media. However, social media is not about that.
The essential goal of social media marketing is personalization of the average customer experience and always setting long-term goals with your social media strategy.
Social media done right helps you do marketing with people, not marketing to people. Build a community of potential members who will spread the word about your business.
6. Consistency in Distribution
As a business, your goal should be tracking what type of queries are being searched on social media and when they're relevant to your business.
Build a distribution strategy to spread your existing content in those spaces. Always create sustainable content that is shareable for many queries.
Use a distribution strategy and social listening (aka guerrilla marketing) to always be there for your buyers.
7. ChatGPT is Changing Editorial Content
Editorial content on social media to help audiences through valuable input is changing. Most editorial content is too basic and can be found with a simple Google search. With ChatGPT, that type of content might not help you differentiate your brand from others.
That's why editorial content is getting more personal, with storytelling and thought leadership posts on the rise. Successful brands are sharing "how I" and "why I" content instead of "how-to" guides.
This approach adds an element of real-time experience and knowledge, making the content feel more authentic and relevant.
Conclusion
If you're scratching your head wondering why your social media marketing isn't working, it's time to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Have you made any of these mistakes? If so, it's time to fix them.