Mastering social media marketing is often a sore spot for business owners trying to build a brand online. The problem on why you may be failing as a brand in social media, is that most of it revolves around lack of knowledge, or when they have access to the right knowledge in social media marketing, not applying some type of strategy.
In fact, it often becomes a waste… of both money and time. Some businesses that fail in social media because:
- You didn’t utilize search to seek out people in your niche.
- You post infrequently on your social handles.
- You don’t offer anything of value on your website.
- You don’t practice the 80/20 rule.
- You don’t practice the Rule of 7.
- You did search and following, but are playing the shy game by not reaching out to those people.
Case Study:
One lady I worked with runs an architecture blog and has some major white papers for universities on various architecture subjects. Not only did she not research her audience and follow them as well as many of her peers, she did not reach out to them at all. Since pointing this out, she’s finally reached out, and her traffic has risen drastically, and that traffic includes some of the critics out there in her niche.
So in getting back to some of the reasons why businesses may be failing as a brand in social media, each have a solution.
You didn’t utilize search to seek out people in your niche.
Most social networks have some type of search in place that allow you to look up specific topics, people, things, places, online communities, and more. All you have to do is search!!!
You post infrequently on your social handles.
If you’re posting once a week, that is still infrequent. In fact, you’re not utilizing your full potential to flex your knowledge in your niche.
You don’t offer anything of value on your website.
You’ve places the bare minimum content on your website. While some people get the gist of what you’re offering, you offer nothing to keep them coming back, or even of value that visitors can take away to tell others. It’s fine to want to sell and make money, but really, that lackluster minimal approach to your product may not compete against someone who has created content to wow their visitors and build that trust people are looking for.
You don’t practice the 80/20 rule.
If you’re only tooting your own horn, that can be a problem. There’s a rule called the 80/20 rule in which 80% of the time, you’re suppose to share content from other resources. The other 20%, you share yours. The content you pick to share should help build your authority and knowledge if you want to be focused on building your brand.
You don’t practice the Rule of 7.
The Rule of 7 basically states that in order for another person to react to your message, they must see it at least 7 times. This may mean posting the message on several social networks, and at different times of the day. If your target audience is worldwide, scheduling your message to be seen by the other side of the world might be ideal. This also gives you the excuse to flex the 80/20 rule.
You did search and following, but are playing the shy game by not reaching out to those people.
If you’re building a business and a brand, you’re going to have to reach out to people. You will never know what people are interested in, or grow if you’re going to be shy. If you can’t do it, hire a virtual assistant that is experienced in social media marketing.
Some people are uncomfortable with engagement and believe it that they may irritate their followers. That’s not true. You don’t have to be in everyone’s face to get your point across. That’s why the 80/20 rule works so well. 😉
If you’re having problems, look at this list and see what your current social media marketing strategy is missing. If you’re still having problems, look at things like your target audience. Don’t be afraid to put out a survey to ask people on how you can improve. Also, don’t be afraid to seek out business and social media groups on Facebook and Google+ to get feedback amongst peers.
Are you having problems succeeding as a brand in social media? If so, what questions do you have? Are you executing many of the points in your own social media marketing plan like the ones listed above?
The rule of 7 is significant, I think. This is something I need to improve on: “Scheduling your message to be seen by the other side of the world might be ideal.” Reaching out to people is also a huge aspect of success on social media and probably the number 1 issue for many people.
This is a perfect list to live by on social media sites, Nile.
If you’re not doing these things, it’s probably why your social media campaigns are going nowhere.
So what to do?
Do everything on this list, one at a time, check them off every single day and it’s the formula to a successful social media strategy… if you implement it.
Thanks for the nice thumbnail sketch of how social media works, Nile.
Reaching out and using search are fundamentals of social media. I’d go one step further and say look at the profile of someone before reaching out. I’ve been aggressively pursued across social media fro sharing a post for a friend about employment! But then balance and recognising who is a potential lead and who isn’t comes over time.
I read about the 80/20 rule elsewhere, but could not make heads or tails of what the author was trying to say. You defined it clearly and succinctly—and now I am rethinking the way I share content on social media. Thanks!
Nile,
you made it clear.. unless we learn to utilize social media properly… is always waste fo money and time.. and most times it takes a session with someone expertize as you to point out what is going wrong and swoon better results will show up.
Thanks for sharing some of what you know it helps all of us.
_nickc
I need to print these rules and stick them in front of my computer … when I follow them, I get GREAT response. LOL
I am one guilty of not keeping my brand consistent and in line with my blog. It is for sure something i need to work on. I always make sure to share things with my followers but i lack updating often and showing my personality through it. Thanks for the tips!
These are all things I am terrible about being consistent in keeping up with, which explains why my social media accounts go nowhere. It’s not a meaningful part of my business but it could be more effective.
I definitely spend more time on the social networks I prefer than the ones I don’t. This probably has an effect on the rule of 7.
This is a great list that I need to check twice, as I found my self wanting in a few points. For now I will work on the last one – reaching out. Thanks for sharing
This is a great post for brands. Thanks for sharing your tips and if i’m ever in a situation where I have or represent a brand, I’ll be sure to apply your tactics.
Hello Nile, All great tips my friend! I do think it is important to reach out and connect more with people, this is one of my goals for 2015!
Thanks for sharing..
Chery :))
Nice post, lots of very valid points. I think not posting enough on social media channels has to be one of the biggest mistakes made.
Good tips. I’m doing okay with social media, but I really want to set some goals and do even more in 2015! So, your tips are definitely helpful.
Great post, I think I need to start following a lot of these rules. It sure does take a lot of work though!
Oh my goodness! I never knew I was so guilty of so many of these rules! This article was a heavy pill to swallow, but be assured from the bottom of my heart how much I appreciate these pointers.
This is really great information. I will be sure to share it with my sister. I would think it would be good to post things at different times on a lot of sites.
This is a great post! So much awesome info!
There are a lot of great tips here. I still kind of go with the flow, I could definitely use more deliberate structure.
These are great tips, thank you for sharing. I should print these off and stick to them a lot more.
This is a great post. I will share it with my sister she is a blogger.
Social media for fun and using social media to promote your brand is a totally different monster for me! This was seriously an amazing post! I am working hard at creating a professional online presence.
Hi Nile,
You’re right. To create a brand, you need to use social media effectively. Of all the tips you mentioned, what I liked the most is 80/20 rule and rule of 7.
Dheeraj
The rule of 7 is a good one to follow ! I’m going to use that one.
social media is so important in the blogging world! I really try to focus on my brand and make sure I’m showing it off in the right way. These are great suggestions on how to improve my brand!
Love these tips. It’s awesome to find out I am doing some of these correct and see some that I need to work on. Thanks!
This is a great list. I will definitely remember them
I have never hear of the Rule of 7 I think I might have been confused. I thought there was a rule of 3. I remember that if I ever heard or saw something 3 times I was pretty much sold.
Nope… it’s the rule of 7… very old marketing rule.
Hello Nile,
Without wasting any more time I am going to tell you that this is a glorious article for us. As per my views you don’t practice the 80/20 rule and you don’t practice the Rule of 7 both are very awesome and very useful for me.
As you know that with the help of social media, we can become a celebrity. And social media is very best platform for us.
But most of the persons don’t use it for beneficial purposes. They are using it for fun and enjoy.
I hope I am right.
By they way, thanks for the sharing.
Regards
Monu Kumar
These are all very interesting things to think about. I agree with you and probably once my coffee kicks in I could add to it. Appreciate you sharing so that others can take a peek and try to fix what may not be working or maybe what they didn’t do correctly the first time 🙂
Right now I have my assistant managing my Facebook page. She has done a decent job with sharing content and interacting on other pages where my IC hides… but the growth has been slow and I feel like most of the time bots are the only ones liking my page because I only get interaction from a couple of friends and my boyfriend (sparingly at that).
I really have to re-think my social media strategy if I am going to keep paying my girl to run my page.
Nile,
Yes, we have to bring our messages to the right people. Those, who share same interest. That is why research is important and doesn’t take that much time. It beats the wasted money and energy. You will have accomplished without it.
I feel once people understand also, the various platforms structures of sharing valued information. Like, Facebook being as on at a cook-out. LinkedIn is only for professional status and one must learn proper introduction practices. Then, we have Google+ which is a blend of twitter and facebook. Yet better and lasting with unlimited ways to interact. Yet, is still new and most people are not comfortable.
Either way. Nile you have given most people a way to understand. Doing something right is far better than just doing. Thank you once again for this insight.
Most people forget the 80/20 rule and the rule of 7. Both very important for your content and getting your message across.
Happy New Year
Andy
Great post here, I especially agree with the 80/20 rule – constantly sharing the same mundane posts pushing your brand will result in a loss of followers. Introducing new content and sharing content from other resources is definitely a good way to diversify your posts
Nowadays Social Media plays more important role than search engines. Because Google search algorithms changes frequently whereas social media doesn’t changes at all. Hence if we want to get success in the world of Internet Marketing,it is important to good number of audience in the social media.It is plus sign of success in Internet Marketing..You have shared some important tips which will us help to get success in social media platforms..Good work..
Hi Nile. I’m one who struggles with social media. Sometimes I just don’t want to be there. I know that I need to do more, and this is a very good list. I’ve got some things down pretty well, but others are areas to work on. Thanks for sharing.
All the best,
Leslie
Nile,
I have been guilty of that shy game. I send out one email, once in awhile. I post and then disappear for a few days. It all takes organization and time. And then there are these projects that take precedence.
This article was a good reminder to think of that 80-20 rules and the rule of 7. Once is not enough and only posting your own stuff and your own opportunities does not work.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Thanks for telling it like it is Nile!
Boy I sure could have used several of your excellent tips, back when I first ventured
on to good old social media!
Back then, I thought spam was an admirable substitute for an effective social media marketing campaign.
Live and learn. I’ve sense come to realize the real reason “why” it’s called social media!
And thank goodness I didn’t completely wreck my brand before I did! Thanks for sharing some excellent
and extremely practical tips Nile!
nile , a post that you share this time is one of my favorites . these moments I have difficulty in managing a website and I feel confused about how to handle it . but this time you post really gave me a way out . thanks alot
On the rule of 7 and rule of 3 confusion. People are probably thinking of the 3 laws of marketing. Frank Kern has some great content on that subject if you want to learn more.
Nice blog post about how we can be master in social media branding. Nice blog post keep the good work going.
You need a clear brand identity. without that it will be very difficult to build a following.