If you have ever created an excellent piece of content, then you know the anticipation that comes along with releasing it.This is especially the case if you have researched your target audience and know that this piece will be shared and talked about for quite a while. But what happens when things don’t go as planned? What does it mean when you release valuable content and your audience is sharing or talking about it?

If people are not responding to your social media strategy, then it may be time to make a few changes here and there. Take a look at the list below. You’ll find a few errors that you may be making as well as how you can go about fixing them.

You’re not giving people what they want

Social media is one of the most popular spaces on the internet. And people expect a variety of different things from every platform. First, they want to experience something real. They want to see real people, have real interaction, and experience a real human connection. This means, they don’t want anything to do with spam bots. This means that they expect you to be honest and friendly.

Another aspect that users crave is to know the brand’s take on real-world events. Brands are often careful not to get involved in hot button political issues, but the audience is still interested. So it may be a good idea to let your brand take a stand on certain issues that are important to society.  

How to Fix It:

Show your human side. Try adding a little humor to your posts. Don’t be afraid to poke a little fun at yourself. Also, choose an issue that you are passionate about and let your audience know.

You’re not catering to older users

It’s no secret, with each passing day, social media is becoming more and more popular. But have you taken the time to think about other ways in which this landscape is changing? More specifically are you taking the changing demographics into consideration?

When it comes to social media users, there is a rarely talked about age group–the retirees. This segment of the social media population is growing at an unprecedented rate. In fact, research shows that there will be one new retirement age adult user every 8 seconds until the year of 2030.

How to Fix It:

Social media is no longer a place that is strictly segmented to young people. So it’s important to consider what gets their attention. First, you should avoid using a lot of busy images as research shows that the average retiree age group find these elements distracting. Focus on those that are simple and can appeal to the masses. In other words, don’t be flashy.

You’re not using videos

There’s a reason why downloads and video streaming are beginning to take a huge share of bandwidth and is expected to grow to over 81% of all online traffic by 2021. People like to watch videos. And if you’re not creating these experiences for them, then you’re really missing out on a big opportunity.

In a survey conducted in December 2017, 83% of the respondents said that they would consider sharing video content with all of their networks. And this is because they engage people and they make your company seem more engaging. People take an interest on a deeper level. So make sure to include videos in your posting schedule. No, not every post needs to contain a video, but you should ideally include links to content that is relevant.  

You’re not paying attention to small errors

Have you ever created and posted a piece of content that you thought was flawless, only to later look back over it and find that there was a huge typo it? It’s easy to assume that no one saw it, especially if you catch it soon after you publish it. Well, there’s a good chance that someone did actually see it. And unfortunately, these types of little errors can really cost you.

Though the error may be small, it is will often cause your visitors to be skeptical of you. This is particularly the case for those who are first-time visitors. It’s a big hit to your credibility. And this, in turn, will make it much harder to convert these individuals.

How to Fix It:

In order to lessen your chances of making these errors or catching them before you make your final post, you need to understand how your brand works. More specifically, you need to know how your brain and eyes work together in order to read. When you read, your eyes notice one word at a time. The spaces in which your eyes rest are referred to as fixations

You don’t actually read every word, it just feels as if you do because of your eye movements. Instead, your brain actually anticipates a lot of words for you so that it can connect them ahead of time. So many words are assumed instead of actually read. This means that when you proofread your copy, you’re largely anticipating the words that should be there. So even if they aren’t your mind still “sees” them.

So before proofreading, walk away and take a long break. Ask someone else to proof it for you. Read the content aloud. You can also use checkers like Grammarly to catch errors that are contextual.

You’re not listening

Sure, your customers want valuable content, but they also want to interact with you. You see, users have become so accustomed to communicating on social media that they even brands to be responsive to them. It may not be possible to respond to every single comment, email, or tweet, but there are other options.

How to Fix It:

The key to interacting with your audience is social listening. Tools like Hootsuite will alert you whenever you have been mentioned. Add all of your social media accounts to the dashboard and get a bird’s eye view of the people who are talking to or about you. Use these tools to prioritise and respond to the more urgent comments and questions.

Conclusion

Would you like to increase your conversion rates? Well, social media platforms are the ideal places to improve them. It’s where you can give your brand a little personality and interact with your potential customers. However, you must carefully craft your social media marketing strategy so that it pulls people in rather than alienates them.

This can be done by offering people real experiences and connections. It’s done by catering to the older demographics. It requires you to create videos. You must also pay attention to the small typos and listen to your audience. In these ways, you can create a social media campaign that is unmatched.