Recently, I engaged with a prospect who was referred to me by a colleague. In her initial discussion with our business development manager, Tom, she mentioned that our company’s Facebook page didn’t have much engagement. She said it didn’t fill her with much confidence. Ouch!
When Tom relayed this information to me, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t realize we were being judged by our level of engagement.
A Social Media Reality Check
Anyone who has a Facebook fan page knows that organic reach is at an all-time low, right? Or maybe not, as I discovered from talking with that prospective client. For the most part, we don’t promote our posts on Facebook. So, like most businesses, our engagement level reflects that (thanks to Facebook’s finicky algorithm!).
A few years ago, someone told me my tweets were “outdated.” When I reviewed my latest Twitter activity, I noticed I had pinned a tweet, from several months ago, at the top of my timeline. I explained to the individual that the most recent tweets appear below the pinned tweet. It never really struck me before that people who don’t actively use Twitter may not be aware of pinned tweets and their purpose as featured announcements, nor that they present before users’ current tweets.
After the interactions I mentioned above, I thought about changing my social media strategy. I began to wonder if I should now invest more money in paid advertising on Facebook to try to elevate engagement. On Twitter, I considered eliminating pinned tweets so that nothing looks “old” at the top of my timeline.
Then I came to my senses and decided, “This is silly!” We are being held to an unrealistic standard that stems from misunderstanding and misinformation.
The Bottom Line
#Strella Social Media’s primary source of business has come from a combination of client referrals and readers who discovered and found value in our blog posts. To be honest, the only reason we have a Facebook fan page is for credibility’s sake. I keep it updated for prospects who are in the pre-qualifying stage. Most want to know that we actually have social media accounts of our own (Believe it or not, many social media companies have a minimal presence). Our fan page gives them a way to get to know who we are and what we stand for, which helps them determine if they value what we value. I do not anticipate much engagement from prospects in the research phase of finding a social media partner.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to talk with both prospects and explain our position. Still, I wonder how many potential customers raise an eyebrow when their expectations for #Strella’s social media presence are unmet. How many lack confidence in our abilities based on their perceptions?
I would love to know your thoughts on this topic. Please leave a comment to share your input!
