7 Reasons Your Social Media Efforts Is Not Working

Posted by on Jul 14, 2011 | 36 comments

7 Reasons Your Social Media Efforts Is Not Working
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Social media has given people and brands the opportunity to make their message heard and there are so many venues available like Twitter, Facebook,  and now Google plus.  We have been both active on the said social networking sites and we have seen the tremendous impact it has on people’s lives.  Gone are the days when people would look at you funny because you are communicating with your family and friends via Twitter or Facebook.

We know a lot of people who have had rewarding experiences and also know some who have struggled, always asking why their social media efforts are failing to reap any form of success.  If you are a brand or a blogger or use social media in a personal way and want to get your thoughts, your posts, your message across, you know that it takes a lot of your energy and time.  If people tell you that you need to unlock the secret to become successful with your social media campaigns, we believe otherwise, there really is no secret.  Here are 7 possible reasons that you might want to check out:

1.  You did not do your homework -  Research is important at the start of any campaign that you run. Know who you are talking to and check who your competitors are so you can structure and plan your message accordingly.  Give enough time to look at how people consume information and be present where your audience is active on.

2.  You took branding for granted -  Branding allows others to know who you are and what you stand for.  Make sure you take all the necessary steps to ensure that you use the proper avatar.  Write your about page or bio properly.  Another thing that people often forget is setting up their Gravatar.  This is important when making comments and sharing your opinion in the blogging community.   Take the time to get these steps done right and you will definitely see great improvements.

3.  You are not social -  Engagement is key.  You cannot expect people to listen to you if all you do is talk.  Listen and participate in conversations.  Reach out to the people who support you.  Thank them, give them support as well.  Being social is important both offline and online.  If you have the opportunity to go to conferences or meetings to meet people you converse with online that’s even better.  Building relationships takes time and it gets better if you put in the extra effort.

4.  You share crappy content – Content is key when it comes to social media sharing.  Be flexible and vary your content to fit the goals you want to achieve.  There are so many tools available at your disposal to allow you to share good content.  One thing that we believe in is to make sure that aside from sharing what people share with you, try to take it to the next level and create your own content.  This in turn will help you build credibility and make you a better source in whatever field of expertise you are known or want to be known for.

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5.  You are not committed – Commitment is important.  Building relationships with people whether it be personal or for business takes time.  You cannot just create a page on Facebook or an account on Twitter or open a blog and not populate that with compelling content.  People will follow you or like your page because they feel that you have something worthwhile to share.  Follow through and you will not go wrong.

6.  You only think of yourself -  Learn to give.  Do something worthwhile for others without expecting anything in return.  Give recommendations and be helpful to the community you belong to.

7.  You Do Not Measure Your Every Activity – We are both stats geeks and we love to measure our activities online.  Measuring your activities will help you determine if you are reaching the goals you have set in the beginning of your social media efforts.  This will also let you plan and share better content with the audience that you have built over time.

We both believe that hard work and persistence is key to the success of anything that we do.  The 7 reasons enumerated above is part of what we considered when started this site and we hope that these are helpful resources when beginning or improving your online presence.  If you have other reasons that we missed, please leave us a comment, we would love to hear from you.

Image Credit: WebstockBox

 

 

About the authors:

Marty McPadden founder  and host of PodJamTv is a professional photographer, videographer, blogger, apple geek and a Production Supervisor at ESPN one of the largest sports network in the world.  His vast knowledge in the above mentioned field will allow you our readers to tap into tools, apps, reviews and tips that he has learned and mastered over the years.  How to’s and hacks that will allow you to have a richer online experience.

Misty Belardo co host and co writer of PodJamTv is an experienced blogger, designer and a self proclaimed Twitter-holic and an avid Facebook user is a Senior Production Manager at Barefoot Proximity, one of the most awarded advertising agencies across the globe.   Her experience with writing, designing, SEO and brand and advertising strategy will give readers a point of view of what happens behind the scenes in the digital sphere.

 

© 2011, PodJamTV. All rights reserved.

  • http://www.thetop10blog.com/ Tony Hastings

    Thanks to you both for giving all of us social media people a timely reminder of the ways we can keep our eye on the ball!

    Love the way the blog is shaping up, well done :-)

    • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

      Thank you so much Tony for your support. You keep us inspired to share tips from our experience. We hope to bring helpful information and have a place where people can just share ideas and opinions.

  • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

    Thank you so much Tony!! We really appreciate your support and you’ve been a big inspiration for both Misty and I. We’ve got some great stuff planned and are having a ball working together developing PodJam.tv sharing helpful information with the larger community.

  • http://www.micealiling.com Mice Aliling

    Helpful helpful tips as usual, Misty. :)

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Thank you so much Mice!!! :-)

  • http://twitter.com/YouKnowSteve Steve Woods

    Words of wisdom from the best of social networking!

    • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

      We love you Steve!! =))

  • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

    Thank you Steve!!!

  • Noah Garcia

    Thank you so much for some great tips.

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Thank you Noah! We’re glad you found the information useful. :-)

  • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

    Glad that is was helpful Noah! =)

  • Terri Nakamura

    Thanks, guys, for sharing!

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Thank you Terri!! =))

  • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

    Thank you Terri for your love and support!! We appreciate YOU!

  • http://scotduke.com Scot Duke

    Great points. Being social is being more than a great online personality. It’s a two-way street to success online.

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Great point Scot! True engagement is everything!!

  • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

    Thank you Scot, as Marty pointed out engagement is key!

  • http://tech18.com/ Sunil Jain

    You guys always come up with a compelling content :)
    I would like to add 1 more point :)

    * Stick on to your Niche
    It so happens that before applying the social media effect to your blog, you tend to choose your Niche and later after the social media starts working, there’s always a distraction created wherein other topics are getting more attention than your own Niche, so instead of changing your Niche, better stick on to your Niche and start paying more attention towards it :)

    Happy Blogging Friends :)

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Great point Sunil!! I would also add to select a niche that you’re completely passionate about and that you love! It should never feel like work. Thank you my friend!! :-)

  • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

    Thank you so much Sunil for adding your thoughts here. That is why I love the blogging community, people learn together and share ideas that will build the community. Your support is very much appreciated my friend!

  • http://myposterous-sdfv.posterous.com

    Great Article You Two… Much Success with the New Site! #YouRock! :) ))

    • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

      Thank you Ellie!!! We are truly grateful for all your support. Means the world to both me and Marty! =)

  • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

    Thank you Ellie! As Misty said we are so grateful for your support. We are having a blast. Lot’s more good stuff to come, including more video!! You rock!!

  • Pingback: | Learnaholic #eventprof

  • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

    Good list and ITA, #3 gets a big WORD. My only quibble is measuring ‘every’ activity. Not sure what return this comment will give, if it’s worth my time and effort to track and measure it. Agree measurement and tracking is essential as you focus on your plan, but think we need to focus on the bigger picture, not every detail. One theme you’ve built upon here was taking the time, putting in the effort to do it right.. which as you say, takes hard work and persistence. That’s another commitment mistake I’ve seen, people and companies want it all to work instantly when it’s about the long term. FWIW.

    • http://twitter.com/mistygirlph Misty Belardo

      Thank you so much Davina for your comment. I agree with you that people miss the point that your investment online will only earn you dividends after a long period of time. The reason we said that it is important for one to measure their activities, its because we feel that in most cases, it is also important to see if the campaign they began with is working, so that they could see if the message and the effort is relevant to their campaign, and if they need to change it then their would be some leeway. We all know that social media and the trends and practices change and evolve constantly.

  • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

    Thank you Davina for your thoughtful comment. I understand what you mean about the big picture and not letting every little detail influence your plan too much. Our point was more about the importance of measuring your results and not guessing. We totally agree regarding hard work and persistence. Most people fall far short in this regard and wonder why they don’t succeed.

    • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ davinabrewer

      Thanks Marty, Misty. I am all for measurement, don’t misunderstand me.. it’s a great help to track and follow, find what works and not spend time on what doesn’t. Just think we sometimes do ourselves a disservice to overanalyze. Which also factors into the long-term commitment, as some look to the numbers for instant results and don’t give things a chance to gain the traction they need to work.

      • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

        Great point Davina about too much analysis. The danger is people get too attached to numbers and stop listening to their gut feelings as well as give up too quickly. We really appreciate your comments and engagement. This is what PodJam.tv is all about! :-)

  • Carlos Cooper

    Amen. I know I’ve been guilty of any or all of the above. Being present on Social Media isn’t the same as being engaged. And being engaged takes time effort.

    Thanks for the great post.

    Carlos Cooper

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      You’re welcome Carlos and thank you!! Being engaged does take effort to see positive results. We’re glad you found our post helpful.

  • Catsrefuge

    WOW!! That is a lot of very interesting and thought provoking information. Tks a lot.
    Made me realize the relationship part of it which I had not considered before.
    But u did not tell me how to look at who is following me when I am following them, etc. Is that link still available??
    Tks for all the info
    Rachelc888

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Thank you Rachel. The site you’re referring to is friendorfollow.com as well as tweepi.com. Both will show you who is follow you, who you are following and mutual follows. These are the sites we talked about in our video.

  • Xac1692000

    Thanks for sharing this….

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      You’re welcome!

  • http://twitter.com/rajxs »» R ã j »»

    Great tips and really helpful. Appreciate your effort guys.

    • https://podjam.tv Marty McPadden

      Thank you Raj!!! :-)