When I speak with B2B business owners and managers they mention a number of frustrations.
That’s just the way thing work in business.
But one item has been popping up more often. For years, businesses have been told they have to get on social. So they do. They try a few things. Sometimes they try many things.
After some time it becomes frustrating.
Why aren’t things working?
Here are some possible reasons…
#1. No Quantity
There is a lot of content on social media. That means there is a lot of competition for the attention of your desired followers.
You aren’t just competing with businesses in your industry. You’re competing with anything that might grab the attention of your customers.
However, the good news is that your customers are still looking for as much content as possible. Think about your favorite accounts on Instagram or Twitter… Don’t you feel sad when you’ve seen all their recent activity?
That’s how most people feel on social media.
Don’t be afraid to post more often. Most people, especially businesses, aren’t posting nearly enough.
#2. No Consistency
Quantity is one thing. Consistency is another, but they’re closely related.
Another common issue is not posting on a regular schedule. This leaves two problems…
First, it doesn’t get you in the habit of posting. When you’re not on a schedule you’re at the whim of inspiration. More often than not you’ll end up not posting nearly enough.
Second, when you’re not posting regularly you’re letting your customers down. They want to know that they can count on you for great content that comes through their feeds consistently.
#3. Too Much Selling
Look at most business social accounts and the number one type of content you’ll see is something about their products or services.
Selling.
There is far too much of it on social media. That’s why most people don’t bother to follow businesses. They don’t want to be sold to.
Customers are only in “buying mode” 3% of the time. And that is probably being generous.
Share more everyday type of content. What you’re doing. What made your team laugh today. Something in the news that caught your attention.
Share the content your audience wants to see 97% of the time.
#4. No Collaboration
How often do you work with other businesses to create amazing content?
Probably not too often. But it’s a great way to make your content even better.
Let’s say you’re an accountant with a local base of business customers. You could share your own content, but you could work with other businesses with the same customers to share even better content.
For example, share your top five best restaurants for business lunches. See if you can work with the restaurants to offer discounts for a few clients.
#5. No Guesting
Similar to the last one.
But this time you’re guesting on other people’s accounts. It could be on social media, but it could also be guest blogging or being a guest on a podcast.
Let’s say you’re a software company. Maybe business email software. Partner with a software company that makes add-ons for Gmail and Chrome. See if they have a podcast. Or see if they are looking for guest writers for their blog.
Most usually are.
Conclusion
There is lots of opportunity for businesses with social media. But most are getting frustrated because they’ve been investing time with few results. The big reasons for frustration are listed above. Change course and start getting the return you’re looking for.