Social Media is hard work. Don’t let anyone tell you different! It is not a quick fix, it isn’t a ‘build it and they will come’ strategy, and it won’t magically build your business overnight (for the vast majority of us).
That said, in today’s social networking saturated world, business owners who don’t take social media seriously could be in trouble.
At one time businesses that spent the most on advertising and had the best ads ruled the day. And while advertising still has an important role to play in building your brand, social media over time will ensure that any dollars spent on ads are wasted if you don’t deliver on your promises. Social media is Word-of-Mouth advertising at it’s best!
And it doesn’t matter whether you’re in the social media game or not. Social media can still have a serious impact on your business. For those who deliver on their promises this is good news. For those businesses that don’t deliver on their promises, be prepared for a serious wake up call!
But getting back to the main point of this article, the surest way for businesses to fail with social media is this: to launch your social media presence and then…
- Ignore the daily steps you need to take to see success long term, and/or
- Quit too soon, because you aren’t seeing the results you hoped for or expected.
Take a Facebook Business Page for example.
- You’re unlikely to fail because you don’t have a custom designed Facebook Landing Page! Although this can help brand your business and encourage people to like it and become fans – it isn’t enough.
- You’re unlikely to fail because only 15 or 25 people have liked your Business Page so far! Although increasing the number of fans is important, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your base of fans – it takes time.
- You’re unlikely to fail because your posts aren’t earth-shattering pronouncements that leave people gasping in awe! Although posting content that is interesting and helpful to fans is important, much of this is learned through trial and error – aka experience – and, for many of us, this takes time.
In the end, the most significant factor in the success or failure of your Facebook Page long-term is consistency in posting content. This means at least 3+ times a week (an arbitrary number) and better yet at least once a day. Not for only one month or three months but more likely at least six months before you even think of giving up. And even that is probably too soon.
In the end, for most businesses, a lack of success with social media is more tied to a lack of perseverance and consistency in posting than any other factor. And this isn’t just true for Facebook, it’s also true for Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+, etc.