3 Reasons Your Social Media and Content Plans Are Failing

So you’ve jumped into content marketing and social media with both– but nothing is happening. Here’s my first piece of advice: Don’t blame the tactics! Blame the context.

There are several elements that go into a successful content and social media plan that might not be apparent at first glance. Or second, for that matter.

Here are a few things that might be keeping you from reaching your goals…

Your website doesn’t look trustworthy. 

You might have the most engaging Twitter stream on the planet and killer blog content, but if your website looks like it was built in 1997 it doesn’t matter. The frame around your content counts – big time. Your site needs to look trustworthy, which means you have to have all of the elements that make people want to stay and explore your site more.

Some key questions to ask:

• Is your website easy to navigate? Does your audience easily see what steps they need to take?
• Do you include elements to increase trust – like professional certifications, testimonials, etc?
• Do you have an about page that clearly spells out who you are and what your company is about?

You can build understanding and connections that lead to sales with your content and social media marketing – but it will only take you so far. If your website is iffy, you won’t get the sales you’re looking for.

You’re not sure what to track.

You’re blogging away and establishing your presence on social media in order to increase your sales. But your sales aren’t moving. Should you stop? Maybe. But before you do, be sure you’re tracking the right things.  Establishing a Twitter account or starting a blogging schedule isn’t going to lead to an uptick in your sales overnight. But it will increase your exposure and drive more traffic to your website, which can lead to more sales over time.

If you’re focused on the sales figure alone, you won’t be able to tell if your social media and content marketing is working. Are you tracking your referral traffic from social? What about your keyword rankings? Have they improved?

Revisit your goals – and then focus on the right metrics.

You’re not giving it enough time.

Embracing content marketing and social media means embracing what may be a new way of doing business for your organization. If you’ve had a website for years that hasn’t produced quality leads in a while, then it’s time to make a shift.

Changing the way you look at your web marketing takes time (and commitment) – so patience is a key here. It will take time to establish a readership on your blog. It will take time for search engines to index your new knowledge center. It will take time for your audience on social media to grow.

Commit to six months of consistent effort – analyze the results to see what’s working and what needs more attention.

Before you throw the baby out with the bath water, make sure you’re putting your content in the right frame, tracking the right areas and giving it enough time. You might be surprised at the results.

And don’t forget, content marketing and social media is our “thing,” so if you need a little help wrapping your brain around this new way of marketing, please do give us a call or drop us a line.