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Is It Time to Quit Your Social Media Marketing Strategy?
I look at this 2 different ways:
The first is to get really analytical about your objectives and to collect tangible data for at least a month.
But before I share a system for doing this, let’s examine a common mistake / misconception.
For many of you, the main objective with social media is to use it to sell your services. That means, if they’re not meeting potential clients left and right, social media doesn’t work for them.
But social media doesn’t work that way. It’s a process, much like any relationship.
Think of social media like a really vibrant party where people are mingling and enjoying all sorts of different conversations. If you were invited to such a party, would you walk in and just start selling to people?
I hope not. You probably wouldn’t be invited back!
Instead, you’d want to get to know people, you’d want to discover your tribe and who you click with. From your conversations, you’d discover what they need / want and how you can help them.
Then maybe you’d say, “Wow, I’m actually really good at that. Want to come over this weekend and I’ll share some of my favorite tools and tips with you?”
Once you’re able to show them a bit of what you can do, the door is open to sell your services.
Why?
Because you’ve built trust and proof that you’re effective. If whatever pain point you’re helping your prospect solve is important to them, investing in diving further with the help of your services will be a no brainer.
And if diving deeper isn’t of interest to them, you’ve still had the opportunity to help them in a powerful way.
Social media works the same way.
Step 1: You build a tribe by giving a taste of what you’re about on social media. You attract potential clients and fans with your vibe and your overall message. The people who vibe with you will follow you to absorb your content and get to know you.
Step 2: Once they know they like you and want more of what you’ve got, they’ll want to accept an invite for some free info in exchange for their email address.
Step 3: Now, in their inbox, you can dive even deeper with your tips by sharing weekly blogs. You’ll blow them away with the game changing tools and strategies you provide so that when it comes time to sell a program or a spot on your roster, you’ll have a list of eager potential clients.
So back to the question: How do you know if your marketing strategy is working?
First, make sure your objective(s) make sense for social media.
So again, if your objective is to sell your services, break this up into a few smaller, more measurable objectives to help you determine if you’re on the right track.
After one month, look at what worked and what didn’t and develop content based on that.
If the right numbers keep going up, things are working. If they are not, things need changing.
Here are some of the items I measure and why:
If they are, you’re doing something right.
If they’re not, you need to make changes. Maybe your captions are too long, or your images aren’t right for your audience, or maybe you’re posting at the wrong time. I suggest you test a few different styles before you call it quits.
But social media doesn’t work that way. It’s a process, much like any relationship.
Think of social media like a really vibrant party where people are mingling and enjoying all sorts of different conversations. If you were invited to such a party, would you walk in and just start selling to people?
I hope not. You probably wouldn’t be invited back!
Instead, you’d want to get to know people, you’d want to discover your tribe and who you click with. From your conversations, you’d discover what they need / want and how you can help them.
Then maybe you’d say, “Wow, I’m actually really good at that. Want to come over this weekend and I’ll share some of my favorite tools and tips with you?”
Once you’re able to show them a bit of what you can do, the door is open to sell your services.
Why?
Because you’ve built trust and proof that you’re effective. If whatever pain point you’re helping your prospect solve is important to them, investing in diving further with the help of your services will be a no brainer.
And if diving deeper isn’t of interest to them, you’ve still had the opportunity to help them in a powerful way.
Social media works the same way.
Step 1: You build a tribe by giving a taste of what you’re about on social media. You attract potential clients and fans with your vibe and your overall message. The people who vibe with you will follow you to absorb your content and get to know you.
Step 2: Once they know they like you and want more of what you’ve got, they’ll want to accept an invite for some free info in exchange for their email address.
Step 3: Now, in their inbox, you can dive even deeper with your tips by sharing weekly blogs. You’ll blow them away with the game changing tools and strategies you provide so that when it comes time to sell a program or a spot on your roster, you’ll have a list of eager potential clients.
So back to the question: How do you know if your marketing strategy is working?
First, make sure your objective(s) make sense for social media.
So again, if your objective is to sell your services, break this up into a few smaller, more measurable objectives to help you determine if you’re on the right track.
After one month, look at what worked and what didn’t and develop content based on that.
If the right numbers keep going up, things are working. If they are not, things need changing.
Here are some of the items I measure and why:
- The reach of your posts: This lets you know how many people actually saw your post. The more people see your post, the more people stopped to read and absorb it (whether they physically “liked” it or not).
How do I know? Because (as I write this) that’s how the algorithm works. If a post is read or pondered on, the algorithm allows it to travel further to be seen by more people. - How engaged your following is: This is good to know because it tells you what content / images etc. are liked enough to actually click “like.” This can also give you hints as to what people want more of so you know what kind of content to post / create.
- Email subscribers: You need to put content out there that points people to your email list so you can sell to them! So this is always something to measure if you’re looking to use social media to grow your business.
- Link clicks: So, for example, if you’re using social media to point to a blog, you need to know how many people actually clicked on the link as a result of your content.
If they are, you’re doing something right.
If they’re not, you need to make changes. Maybe your captions are too long, or your images aren’t right for your audience, or maybe you’re posting at the wrong time. I suggest you test a few different styles before you call it quits.
Good news! I made the exact spreadsheet I use to record all of the different items I need to keep track of to make sure my social media is converting. I also provide notes to help you use it. All you gotta do is click the button below, and copy and paste it so you can save it for your use!
Now you’ll know if social media is working for you and what to do if it’s not.
Now you’ll know if social media is working for you and what to do if it’s not.
Before I leave you, I want to share one last question I ask myself to help me determine if it’s time to call it quits on a strategy. And that question is, “WHY?”
Why did you want to commit to this strategy in the first place?
You may not know this, but this isn’t my first blog. I used to write another blog where I interviewed business owners and NO ONE read it.
Actually, one person did. My mom. But other than her…NOT ONE PERSON.
But when I asked myself why I kept writing it, my answer was because I loved it. Because it gave me all sorts of inspiration around what business I was going to launch one day. It gave me an excuse to talk to interesting people. And I knew deep down in my heart that my blog would inspire someone.
Well… that blog is what gave me the tools to start Coach Social, it gave me my first handful of clients, and it gave me the confidence to give advice to people. I realized that I actually knew more than I thought I did and that I could really help people who are struggling with social media.
So, though it took more than a year of blogging to absolutely no one — a reason to call it quits for most people! — I stuck with it. And it paid off. Even though all the signs said that it wouldn’t!
So what marketing strategy are you questioning? Feel free to leave me a comment or shoot us an email and we can talk about how to tackle it differently.
Why did you want to commit to this strategy in the first place?
You may not know this, but this isn’t my first blog. I used to write another blog where I interviewed business owners and NO ONE read it.
Actually, one person did. My mom. But other than her…NOT ONE PERSON.
But when I asked myself why I kept writing it, my answer was because I loved it. Because it gave me all sorts of inspiration around what business I was going to launch one day. It gave me an excuse to talk to interesting people. And I knew deep down in my heart that my blog would inspire someone.
Well… that blog is what gave me the tools to start Coach Social, it gave me my first handful of clients, and it gave me the confidence to give advice to people. I realized that I actually knew more than I thought I did and that I could really help people who are struggling with social media.
So, though it took more than a year of blogging to absolutely no one — a reason to call it quits for most people! — I stuck with it. And it paid off. Even though all the signs said that it wouldn’t!
So what marketing strategy are you questioning? Feel free to leave me a comment or shoot us an email and we can talk about how to tackle it differently.