Social media strategies can have their ups and downs. If you’ve hit a bump in the road and your content has stalled, don’t panic. It just means it’s time to put your thinking cap on. There are lots of reasons why you might not be seeing the return on your social content that you’d like. When you hit a plateau, it may be time to rethink your approach, look at your reports with fresh eyes, create tests, or switch up your content completely.

Consider what might have changed

Things are always changing on social media. Platforms change their features and algorithms, new trends emerge every second, and consumer needs evolve with the times. It can be difficult to keep up, but if you notice a dip in engagement, it’s important that your social media strategy is frequently updated to account for changes.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you are looking to reinvigorate your followers:

Are you checking your demographics?

If you’re tailoring your content for a Generation Z audience, but the majority of your followers are actually 35-44, it’s time to mix up your messaging. Or perhaps your audience is mostly women, but your goal is to engage with a more gender-diverse crowd. Having a better grasp on your demographics and how they evolve can help revamp your strategy.

Have any social platforms recently changed their algorithms?

If you’re not seeing the engagement you’re used to, you probably aren’t alone. Social media platforms frequently make changes to their algorithms, which can change how content is prioritised in your audience’s feed. Now, on nearly all platforms, chronology isn’t the way, and relevancy is king.

A lot of platforms will update users about these changes, but it isn’t always immediately clear how marketers can crack through the algorithm. But even so, it’s always clear that relevance is important, as well as authenticity and human connection. There’s no direct way to make sure your posts are at the top of every feed, but you can create content that is relevant and tailored to your target audience.

Is it just a sign of the times?

Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically during Covid-19. In national or global crises, tensions and emotions run high, therefore your content might not resonate in the same way.

If your audience has disengaged, consider how current events might be affecting them and what content they might be sensitive to. Human connection is the most valuable thing a brand can offer its community.

Make a case for using paid ads

If you’re struggling to reach your target audience through organic social media, it might be time to consider a paid strategy. On Facebook, organic posts only reach around 6.4% of your followers, so it’s easy to get lost in the noise. Putting some money into your posts can help businesses break through and connect with audiences that might have missed out on their content.

Boosting posts is a cost-efficient way to dip your toes in the paid pool. With a little boost, even just £5-£10 on a post, your content could see big gains. Test it out.

Get creative

If you’ve exhausted yourself trying to think of ways to repurpose your content, it might be time to try something new. Creative testing can help to creative more impactful pieces of content and understand which concepts your audience is loving and which they aren’t. Here are some creative avenues to explore:

• Try dipping into video. Not everything needs to be Oscar-worthy to be engaging – in fact, stripped back, authentic videos often work better.
• Add GIFs to your Tweets to entertain your followers.
• Try capitalising on cultural engagement opportunities that are relevant to your brand.
• If you want to know what type of content your audience wants to see more of, you could just simply ask. Post community questions or use polls on Twitter or Facebook to drum up new content ideas.

When your engagement is down, keep your head up

It’s important to remind yourself that social media is fickle and a tricky thing to always master. If you’re feeling deflated when you see a drop in engagement, take a look back at how far you’ve come. Celebrate your successes! If you put a lot of work into a campaign that didn’t work out as expected, focus on what you can learn from that experience.

Times change, people change and social media data, trends and platforms definitely change. When that affects your content, look at it as an opportunity for professional growth.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Consider joining online groups where you can ask how others have dealt with burnout or writer’s block. Or, reach out to social media marketers directly – like me. 😊