Get Results With Social Media: Start With Your Goals

Are you getting the results you want from social media marketing?

When a reader asks “is social media worth it?” I suggest that it depends on you, and what you want from the time you invest.

The bottom line is always, what are your goals, and are you getting results?

If you enjoy spending time on Twitter and Facebook, it’s entertainment. On the other hand, if you’re using these platforms for content marketing, ask yourself about your goals.

Every business owner uses social media differently. However, if you expect results, experiment. Above all, avoid digital sharecropping.

Social media: avoid digital sharecropping

Over the past 12 months, I’ve cut back on the marketing time I spent on platforms like Facebook, because I can’t justify it. Moreover, I’m always concerned about digital sharecropping in content marketing.

“Digital sharecropping” is creating content on platforms over which you have zero control. It’s rarely a good idea — years later, I’m still annoyed at the time I invested in Posterous, for example.

In Expert Social Media Marketing Predictions For 2023 Katie Lance suggests:

I think it will be more important than ever to focus on creating a content library that goes with you regardless of the platform.

Yes, because bottom line: social media is social.

So, if you’re creating content on Twitter or LinkedIn, ensure that you’re doing it for interaction and pleasure. On the other hand, if the content is related to your business, create it mostly in your own space.

I’m not suggesting that you avoid the various social platforms, just that you have marketing goals. If you’re a professional writer, you can’t afford too many freebies.

Consider this concept: “if it’s free, it’s for me.”

A useful concept: “if it’s free, it’s for me”

Over the years, I’ve covered writing on spec extensively, and IMO creating content on social media is spec writing par excellence. Although it’s still common in screen and TV writing, today most spec writing is termed “writing for visibility.”

Sadly, much spec writing is a scam.

In my early years as a blogger, sniffy writing colleagues alleged that blogging was writing on spec. Well, no, because the free was for me. In those days, writers couldn’t get their head around writing as a promotional strategy, so I suggested they adopt the credo: “if it’s free, it’s for me.”

That neatly avoids writing on spec, because if you’re a professional writer, you’re writing to live and pay your bills. If someone suggests you create a writing sample for them as a form of audition, remember… “if it’s free, it’s for me.” Charge for your work.

So, getting back to social media. What are your goals?

Your goals for social media: avoid writing on spec, and for “visibility”

We all have endless opportunities for marketing. However, no marketing strategy or tactic works for everyone. If you’re running an ecommerce site selling skincare, you may love TikTok, or Pinterest, because you’re making sales. (Getting results.)

It’s notoriously challenging to set goals for content marketing, because you need many touchpoints. That’s OK. Set goals, even if they’re guesstimates. You’ll soon know whether it’s working for you.

Need social media marketing advice? Get in touch.

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