5 Warning Signs of a Weak Social Media Strategy

Engaging your brand in social media is easier said than done. There are many factors to consider when executing an effective social media strategy. Instead of watching the train wreck hurt your brand, here are warning signs of a weak social media strategy that you need to be aware of before things really get bad:

1) Lack of Focus on a Few Social Networks

There are many social networks that can be leveraged but ask your team: “Why are we using Facebook? Why are we on Twitter?” It’s easy to get caught up in the newest tactics and techniques rather than focus on the established strategy meant to accomplish the set objectives.

Focus on a few social networks to create a strong presence in a few venues compared to near non-existence on 200 social networks.

2) No Responsibility for Executing Social Media Activities

There needs to be an emphasis placed on participating on your business’s core social networks. Profiles need to be updated at often; at the very least once a day. If there is little to no activity on your social profiles, prospects will perceive it with less value and go to the next popular profile: your competitor’s profile.

Consistency is necessary for implementing a successful social media strategy. Depending on how big of a splash the social media strategy wants to make, the delegation of social media activities may mean an employee spends a portion of their day on it or you hire staff specifically for the strategy and implementation of the social media strategy.

3) Daily Tasks are Not Aligned with Social Media Strategy

Social media requires taking small steps to accomplish big goals. A few small steps are replying to conversations with clients, monitoring your brand online, listening to your market, etc. But if there’s a solid social media strategy in place, consider how the current day-to-day activities are aligned with the goals of the strategy.

4) Metrics Are Not Being Measured

Metrics help define the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Without metrics, the social media strategy means nothing. The numbers behind the strategy dictate what worked, what didn’t and how you can replicate previous successes by ditching the fail attempts; it’s simple as that.

5) There is No Social Media Strategy in the First Place!!

Signing up for Twitter and Facebook is the first step to get exposure to your market and have the ability to start building relationships. Just because you have an account and post content randomly, this doesn’t translate as a strong social media strategy.

Ask yourself/your team, “do we really have a social media strategy?” If you’re not honest about this, all of your hard work will mean nothing. If you don’t have a social media strategy, stop putting it off and get started.

Components to consider:

Why are you participating in social media? Exposure? Sales? Creating bonds with your clients?
What’s the expected ROI? Are you expecting too much too early?
What’s the content strategy? What will you post? Why are you posting that content? How is the content aligned with the reason why you’re on social media?

Where To Go From Here?

It’s time to be honest.

Reassess your social media strategy and the quality of implementation. If you don’t have a social media strategy at all, consider Jay Baer’s “Develop a Social Media Strategy in 7 Steps” to get started. Refocus and if you gained any insights or have another “warning sign of a weak social media strategy“, I’m all ears!

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