Social media often seems like one of the simplest things in the world; after all, we live in a time when people’s cats have their own Facebook pages. But while telling your friends and family what you ate for dinner or uploading photos from your recent vacay in Greece might be easy, using social media for your business is a whole other ballgame. In fact, social media as a marketing tool comes with all sorts of challenges, including the following:
Keeping up with the Trends
Social media trends seem to change just about as often as weather patterns…and keeping up with them is a lot more difficult than checking an app on your smartphone. Some trends are so fickle that they peak after about a day, requiring marketers to change their tactics constantly. No one wants to jump on a trend that’s no longer trendy.
The Lack of Conformity
Another challenge in social media is the lack of conformity among platforms. In other words, Facebook has different rules than Instagram, Instagram has different rules than TikTok, TikTok has different rules than X…and so on. These rules are especially problematic when it comes to image format, ratios, and asset sizes. You can’t just use a one-visual-fits-all for every social media platform because that would be too easy. Some platforms require a few minor tweaks of your marketing materials; others require a complete overhaul.
Failing to Engage
The whole point of social media is to engage your audience; failing to do this is kind of like giving a presentation to a room full of empty chairs. Among the biggest reasons continuous engagement is so difficult is the ever-changing algorithm that determines if and when anyone sees your posts. Keeping up with these, like keeping up with the trends, is a practice in patience and coffee.
Not Standing Out from the Competition
Good social media marketing doesn’t focus on the competition right away; you build to that. Instead, it focuses on establishing your brand and image before worrying about what your e-commerce enemies are doing. However, you will need to set yourself apart from similar companies eventually. Balancing that while fostering your business identity requires a certain expertise.
Juggling Too Many Profiles
Most companies find limited success with one social media profile on a single platform; rather, they get true traction by having a presence on all the most popular platforms. The downside of this, of course, is that it’s more for you to juggle. Posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and other sites takes up a great deal of time, time you could be spending on other aspects of your business.
Ultimately, social media is a huge venture that’s difficult to take on alone; outsource it so you won’t have to. Need some guidance on social media or anything else? Give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help.