Why you’re failing on social media

There was once a time in business (not that many years ago), where in order to get your message out, you would have to pay mega dollars for a spot on radio, TV or in the newspaper.

Now, with the landscape of traditional media changing due to the accessibility of social media - businesses have the prime opportunity of by-passing these outlets all together to directly communicate with their audiences online.

This has also opened the door for a new type of entrepreneur. One who can work and trade from anywhere in the world. But regardless of whether you’re in an established industry, or you’re pioneering the way in something new, as we’ve transitioned into a free-for-all digital marketing space, business owners are now faced with a new challenge - a society that is more noisy and more over-communicated to than ever before.

You see, as we’ve moved away from traditional media, we’ve also moved away from the professionals, creatives and agencies that understand communication better than anyone.

And yes you can do it on your own, but if you’re just posting stuff on social media for the sake of it, you’re going to drown in the noise.

The reality is the mind is a sponge that can only absorb so much. From the start of the day to the end of the day, we’re bombarded with messages. The impact on the brain is sensory-overload. Beyond a certain point the brain refuses to take in new information.

It will only accept information that it’s already aligned to and will filter the rest out.

People see what they expect to see and very little mind changing takes place.

Flooding the market with endless information or trying to be everything to everyone is simply contributing to the noise.

The result is your message will fall on deaf ears regardless of how many videos your posting on Facebook or what budget you have for ad spend.

So, what’s the solution?

While technology has given us the ability to advance in almost all areas of business, there are still some tried and true strategies that will always remain vital for companies.

When it comes to marketing – regardless of whether its online of offline, the solution to any communication problem, I believe is branding.

Doing the work to understand and build your brand BEFORE you even think about putting content out there on social media is a no brainer.

This is about understanding your customers, competition, industry, your positioning in the market, your company vision, purpose and objectives, your brand personality and core messages at the very least…

Because if you don’t understand who you are, how can you expect anyone on social media to?

Having a strong brand strategy means you can consciously communicate to those who matter most – your customers. And if you don’t have this down, then I honestly believe the metrics on social media don't count for as much as you probably think they do.

Only after you truly understand who you are and what you’re here to do, can you create pillars of content that communicate that in an engaging, informative, entertaining or value-rich way that actually cuts through the noise and connects with your target audience.

So, before you click the ‘post button,’ ask yourself – “What am I trying to say here?”

“Am I just posting this meme or quote for the sake of it? Or do I have something of real value to say here that aligns with my company purpose and vision in a way that people actually care and can relate to?”

If the answer is no, I’d start doing some solid branding exercises and look at ways to build a strong communication strategy off the back of it.

Because, while we may no longer need the likes of TV and radio to get our message out there, we do still have to build strong brands that can communicate in a way that matters to people, and that requires more than updating your status a few times a week.