How to Overcome Social Media Challenges
Social media marketing is now essential for any company to succeed in reaching customers. Social media, however, is not easy and comes with many unique challenges, which can be overcome if companies are willing to put in the time and effort, writes, Kristen Herhold, Writer, The Manifest
It’s 2018, and the majority of companies see the importance of social media: 52% say social media positively influences their revenue and sales, a number that is likely to keep growing.
Although every company can benefit from social media, this technology is still challenging for many companies.
1. Not enough human and financial resources
2. No formal strategy
3. Building followers and influencers
4. Tracking results
Every business, no matter how big or small, inevitably faces challenges with social media. These challenges, however, can be overcome if companies are willing to put in the effort.
Understand Social Media’s Importance
The first step in overcoming social media challenges is for the entire company to understand the importance of social media; from the CEO all the way to the intern, everyone, especially the company’s leadership team, needs to be on board.
If a company’s leaders don’t understand the value of social media, how can its social media possibly succeed? If your company is invested in your social media’s long-term success, you can more easily overcome the challenges that inevitably come with this technology.
Split Responsibilities
If you can’t hire a new employee to work on social or if no one at your company can take sole control of your social media, you can split the responsibilities among several employees.
For example, each employee can take control of a different social media channel. This way, the employee will become familiar with his or her assigned channel and learn what types of content engages best among followers and what times are best to post.
If multiple employees share the responsibility of social media, no one will get overwhelmed, and their other tasks won’t be ignored.
Use Social Media Management Software
If your company feels it doesn’t have enough time for social media, using social media software, such as Buffer, Hootsuite, and TweetDeck, can help.
Most software is free for basic access but charge for premium accounts. Companies just getting started on social media, however, only need free accounts to start with.
Using this software will save employees time because they can schedule posts as far in advance as they like. Many companies schedule their content for the week every Monday, so all they need to do the rest of the week is check if the content successfully posts and respond to follower comments and messages.
Use the Platforms That Make Sense
If your company targets baby boomers, you have no business being on platforms such as Snapchat, a platform that is overwhelmingly millennial-dominated. It is a waste of time and resources.
For example, if you’re selling an anti-aging cream, you wouldn’t advertise on the Disney Channel, so why would you want to be on social media channels with hardly any users of your target audience?
Older generations are more likely to use more established social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, so if you can’t use every social media channel, it’s important to focus on the ones that have the most potential customers.
So, create the social media channels that make the most sense for your company.
Work With Influencers
If your company wants to use social media but lacks the number of employees to successfully do so, you can turn to social media influencers, who promote your product or brand and spread word about your company.
Chances are, influencers will have more social media followers than your company’s profiles – and that’s a good thing. When influencers post about your company, potential customers become more aware of your company, and your follower count will increase.
Depending on his or her follower count and popularity, the cost of an influencer varies. Sometimes, companies trade their products for influencers’ promotion. No matter how you pay them, influencers are still more affordable than hiring a full-time (or even part-time) social media manager.
Be Patient
If you’re just starting off with social media or if you’re trying to make improvements, social media success takes time. It’s essential to be patient and not give up.
If you think using social media will immediately double your sales, it likely won’t. It’s difficult to measure when a like or follow converts into a sale, but if you continue to engage with followers and regularly post to social media, you can find success. Eventually, your followers are likely to convert; it just takes time.
Social media is essential for companies to succeed today; if a company is not on social media, it could be missing out on potential customers.
