During the month of January, 2014, we offered 31 30-minute social media audits to the first businesses, organizations, or nonprofits to RSVP for them. The findings were pretty interesting to us here at The Rocket Group.
First, these audits were conducted in live conversations – over the phone or through a Google Hangout – with attendees. We would then go through their websites, email newsletters and social media and discuss success stories, look at obstacles to greater success, and talk about tools and strategies which would help them to reach their intended audiences.
I appreciate everyone who signed up to get some help and even those who started and stopped (we see those stats too!) the registration process. You were this close to getting help!
We talked with more than two dozen folks during January in the Uncle Ben program (No, we did not sell out of our free program), and while everyone had a unique story and audience they wanted to reach, there were several common items which came up in every conversation:
Businesses, organizations, and nonprofits need to do MORE. Many have set up accounts, post sporadically, and don’t look at their social media or Google analytics. No one will ever be successful with these modern forms of communication by setting it and forgetting it.
Be good at one platform before launching others. We often saw where folks had set up profiles across all of the Big 6 social media platforms then got frustrated and abandoned them all. Pick one, conquer it, and then add the next. Rinse and repeat. Here in the Midwest, where all of our attendees were from, the dominant platform is Facebook. If you aren’t there and active then you might as well forget being successful in social media.
Sucky pictures and graphics. Another common trait was the posting of images which did not fit to optimum size in the Facebook newsfeed, profile pics/avatars which do not tell anyone who the heck was posting them on social media, and poor quality images which make your efforts look bad. The long-term fix here is hard work and dedication, while the short-term fix is using a site like Canva.
Having no idea when your audience is online. We’ve run hundreds of campaigns and pages here in the Midwest. The best audience for interaction (Likes, Follows, Comments, Shares, and most importantly, clicks to your website) is on Facebook between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. every day of the week. If you are posting at 9 a.m. once a week you will never reach these people, even if they have Liked or Followed you. Look at your analytics and learn when your audience interacts with you the most. Then focus your best efforts in those windows.
What’s Next for Uncle Ben?
Our commitment to helping businesses, organizations, and nonprofits understand these affordable and effective tools does not end on February 1. While we cannot commit the resources to have 31 open appointments every month, we will leave the door open for you to take part. Click one of the Uncle Ben graphics above or below to send me an email asking when the next availability is for a free 30-minute conversation about your social media. I look forward to talking with you soon!
