I’m letting you into some secrets. Here are 8 of the most common problems businesses face on social media. They are access, budgets, resources, reach & engagement, negative reactions, positioning and tracking.
The problems businesses face on social media
If you ask me, one of the most common problem businesses face on social media is Meta account access issues. Literally every time I take on an advertising client, it turns out that the Ads Manager or the pixel or the Facebook page itself is owned by someone that the business can’t identify. Or the person who ran it has left or sold the business. And I spend hours with Meta support (who are all lovely), unpicking the problems.
Next is probably trying to do too much on too small a budget on every single platform that the brand can think of that ‘they need to be on’. Running social media accounts on lots of different platforms is a) time consuming and b) sometimes requires completely different content. Sometimes the same audience is on one or more platforms and the same format works on them too, but less often than many business owners think.
For small businesses, lack of resources can be an issue. I often meet small business owners who want to keep up with global brands who have massive marketing teams. Big marketing teams have specialists with different strengths, including graphic design, illustration, video production, copywriting, advertising strategy, and more. Small businesses have small teams and small budgets. That doesn’t mean they can’t make an impact but it does mean they might need to manage resources efficiently.
Low or no engagement. This is a biggie. One of the most common problems businesses face on social media. The whole genius idea about social media is that you can reach huge numbers of people. But that also means there is a vast amount of competition. There are a few different reasons that content is getting crickets, which we can discuss for your individual situation, if you book a call 😉 It could be content or it could be strategic.
The opposite end of the spectrum is when a post goes viral or a post explodes with spam or vitriol. A business needs a plan for how to handle complaints, customer service and trolling online. It is unfortunately part of the nature of social media that people feel able to say and do things they probably wouldn’t do in person without fear of being arrested.
Not knowing who their audience is and what their product or service solves. They don’t know what their brand values are, or what their USP is. You would be surprised I am sure to know just how many business owners cannot tell me who they serve and why their potential customer needs to buy from them. Honestly. Yet this is fundamental to engaging with audiences on social media. A list of features isn’t going to cut it.
There are no measurement systems in place or there are too many measurement systems in place. It hurts me to say the second, because I love data. If a business does not have goals for social media and doesn’t measure the results, how can they know what is working and what needs improvement. Yet many business owners who reach out to me don’t have any tracking in place or if they do, don’t ever look at it! I’m not sure which is worse.
Common problems businesses face on social media
Hopefully you have not identified with any of these common problems businesses face on social media. These problems are all surmountable. A great way to start is with a strategic marketing plan.
I love social media for the amazing opportunity it provides to businesses to reach huge numbers of people very quickly. Your business can grow and thrive by using social media tactically and effectively for the size and stage it is at, and using the resources you have available. Of course, I can supplement your in-house team with my specialist skills if you have gaps. If you need help with social media, let’s talk.
