After nearly 14 years with a business profile on Twitter towards the end of last year we found ourselves wondering, is it really worth our time to maintain a presence on the platform? We post consistently. We use relevant hashtags. We always accompany tweets with a creative visual. We go out of our way to tag other accounts. In short, we do all the things that Twitter’s own business gurus recommend small businesses do to increase the visibility of their tweets and grow their following but after all that, we have come to find that the juice simply isn't worth the squeeze.
In this blog, we are breaking a social media taboo by saying it’s ok to decide a social media platform just isn't the right fit for your business and sharing some clear signs that it might be time for you to wave goodbye to a platform too.
1. You feel like you are talking to an empty room
We all know that feeling of when you have taken the time to craft what you think is a really interesting and insightful post that is sure to spark a reaction only to be met with crickets. If you are finding that no matter the angle you take or how creative you are that it just isn’t landing, that could be a sign that your not reaching the right audience on the platform.
2. Your content doesn’t naturally fit the format
Each platform prioritises different types of content. Whether it is short form video on Instagram or trending topics on Twitter, the reality is that as a business it can be challenging to create content in so many different formats. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that you don’t have the time required to be able to tweet reactively or to edit video content. Pick the platforms where you feel you can produce quality content in a platform friendly format and use that time you save to create more of what works!
3. You don’t enjoy using the platform
Most of us managing business profiles on social media also have our own personal accounts. If you have created a social media account for your business on a platform that you otherwise don’t use you are running the risk of being outpaced by changing features and fickle algorithms. You are also likely to find that you look for reasons not to post on the platform and an account that regularly goes quiet for long stretches of time can make people wonder if the business has stopped trading - the complete opposite of what you would want your social media marketing to do!
Now don’t misunderstand this advice, building a following and generating meaningful engagement takes time and tempting as it might be to blame it all on the algorithm, it is important to give it time and be consistent.
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