Social Media Management: 3 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong

Sooo, you opened up your page, and you’re following all the social media gurus out there… But it’s not working.

I know how frustrating it can be. Your business works so well, but your online presence is still at zero. You cannot really understand why your clients are SO HAPPY in real life, but no one can grasp the value of your offer through a screen.

You’re doing the follow-unfollow, you’re posting as much as you can, you’re adding the CTAs, and you’re chasing the latest trends. But still, your competitors seem to have it way easier than you. That’s why you ended up here. Isn’t it?

Well, let me tell you something. You’ve been probably making it way harder than it should be. And, perhaps, you’ve been working with social media as if it were the green alien, even though it’s nothing but your business translated into digital words and images.

Let me tell you how I see it.

Over the past 3 years, I have helped over 200 clients with their online businesses. Although I am no social media guru, I have studied copywriting and digital marketing, and, generally speaking, my clients see results within a few months after I start working with them.

But… First things first.

What are “results” on social media?

Depending on the kind of business you have, your budget, and your goals, results can be many different things. It can be followers, engagement, impressions, and so on. Howevvver… Not all results are equal.

I believe social media is full of shiny objects. And so many analytics you might consider so important actually are what we might call “vanity metrics.” Followers can be one of them.

I have a client whose follower base collects just a few hundred followers. However, being his business local, those followers easily convert into clients, or rather “patients” in this case.

He might not have a 10k follower base (yet), but he’s paying the bills with those followers because the quality of the lead is higher. And this is all you should care about when it comes to who’s following you.

So, the first thing you might be doing wrong? Chasing vanity metrics. The real goal is to grow your business. Not just its shiny shop window. Right?

Who are you talking to?

This is the part where you’ll either choose to stay and keep reading or think, “Oh, here we go again. I know EVERYTHING about this already.” But unless your social media is already on fire… It means your ideal client isn’t clear enough yet.

I have no fear of spilling the tea on this one because everything sounds so good in theory, but I know how hard it can be in practice. Defining your ideal client is all but simple. It could possibly be the most challenging part of your entire social media strategy, as it implies SPOTTING the right plants in your garden and ERADICATING all the weeds.

In this garden, all plants might look the same to the inexperienced social media manager. However, each garden comes with weeds. And for the plants to grow into beautiful trees, the weeds must no longer be nourished and watered.

I know what you are afraid of…

“But if I choose, I’m excluding all the other ones!”

“But what if I pick one and it’s not the right one?”

“I don’t want to be SO specific…”

“But I can also help XYZ!”

YES, I KNOW. But so can plenty of other businesses out there. So, aren’t you different in any ways?

When you truly have a unique ideal client, you have an infallible business. Because if you have it, it means that you know them. And ideally, you know them better than they know themselves. You can help them better than they can do with themselves. And you can serve them in the exact way they wish someone out there was ready to serve them.

As long as you’ll be in the grey area of the “But I can help anyone!” you won’t really be appealing to anybody. Your ideal clients won’t notice you and your fantastic product or service might never reach those who need it the most.

Just to be clear… The second big mistake you might be making is to avoid picking the ideal client for your business, brand, or social media page. Start with one, and test it. But start now.

How long have you been in the game?

Now, the most painful part. I know we all live in the instant gratification online world. Wanna watch a movie? Netflix. Wanna buy a thing? Amazon. Want food without cooking? Glovo. Wanna date? Tinder. But hey – Instagram is no Netflix, Amazon, and definitely not Glovo. I’m not sure about Tinder, though, but that’s another argument.

Even if you have the feeling that all businesses on social media just pop up and start selling, this isn’t the case for most of them. Marketing is about people, and people are about trust. When they trust you, you can sell them pretty much anything because they know you’re the kind of person who delivers.

But if trust still hasn’t been established, then there’s just one way: with time. And that is something you cannot really rush.

I’ve worked with clients who were disappointed after one month of posting because they hadn’t seen their followers reach the 10k mark. Despite their followers having grown by +280%, they thought it wasn’t that much.

And I understand. After all, we’re so used to seeing extraordinary results that we get disappointed with ordinary results, forgetting that others are not even having results at all.

If you have started a profile, you must know the journey is long. And if your business plans to stay afloat for years, then the social media profiles should do the same. Followers will start reaching out when the content you post matches their needs, their interests, and solves their problems.

But that is not where trust is formed. Or I should say, that is not enough for trust to be formed.

Trust in social media requires social proof and consistency in being there for them. Your followers will start trusting you when they realize you can provide them with solutions and you do it in a timely manner.

When they seek you, you are there. And when they do, you provide them with precisely what they need. At the same time, you keep delivering, and reviews and testimonials prove it.

So, to sum it up, what’s the third mistake you might be making right now? It’s quite simply not being patient enough. Social media is about people. And people need TIME. Enthusiasm on socials can get you some steps ahead. But the ones who win are playing the long-term game. They understood that some followers turn into clients in months and years. And once they do, they become loyal clients, an invaluable element of each business.

How can you do all of this?

I’ll be honest with you. Social media takes a lot of TIME. And that’s why, personally, I devote myself to managing the profiles of my clients, often leaving behind my own.

In truth, my profile is much more like a shop window rather than the main channel through which my clients reach out.

But that’s just how my business works.

If you’re running a business, my best advice is to delegate your social media presence to a professional freelancer. It could or could not be me; that also depends on availability. The person you’re looking for is someone who, first, believes in your project and, second, has plenty of TIME to dedicate to it.

In fact, I highly suggest you plan your investment in social media management with the long haul in mind. Do not hire someone hoping for quick results, unless it’s a crazy ad campaign (where anything can happen.)

If it’s about organic growth on social media or, more simply, about your presence online, hire someone who can help with the backstage work, branding and defining your ideal client, and then plan for a long-term online presence.

Of course, if your brand is about health & wellness, then feel free to reach out and ask for more details about how my team and I can help.

If you need anything else, you can navigate my website or just send me a message!

Giulia, The Holistic Freelancer