It’s safe to say, there’s a lot of competition for attention on social media. So, as great as it is to know when your activity is performing well, it’s as important (if not more important) to understand when it’s not going so well.
After all, the algorithms take past performance into account. This means, if you don’t fix the problem now, it could have an exponentially negative impact on your future performance too.
But how do you know if your social media content’s not doing as well as it could?
How to identify poor content
1. Take a look at your analytics
Despite what some people might think, analytics aren’t always a clear-cut way of determining if you’re content is underperforming. This is because too many people get caught up in vanity metrics and forget to look at the figures within a wider context.
Having said that, they can be a good indicator.
For example, in the unlikely event your post gets zero impressions, zero reach, zero engagement and so on, that would be fair evidence to say your content is underperforming.
But in more practical terms, if you’re not sure what would be classed as underperforming content, just take a look back over time. Are your stats getting gradually better or are they declining?
If you’re seeing analytics drop off or a specific post is well under the trend, then this should be a red flag and something to explore.
2. Ask "Would I engage with this?"
“Would I engage with this?” is possibly the most important question you can ask.
Well, a variation of it.
“Would I engage with something like this if someone else shared it about a different topic?” is a better question. But, that’s not as snappy.
Basically, if it wouldn’t entice you, how can you expect it to work for other people?
Obviously, you’ve got a vested interest in your topic, so you need to think about it in a different context.
For example, because we work in marketing, we might ask “If someone shared a post like this about wealth management, would it catch my eye?”.
That way, we’re not clouding our judgement with our interest and knowledge of the marketing landscape.
3. Check who is engaging
Your analytics might be looking great. They might be looking dire.
Either way, it’s more about who those figures represent.
We often ask the question, “Would you rather have 10,000 followers with no intention to buy or 100 followers made up of your ideal audience?”
Well, this goes for almost all metrics you might track. Who is it that’s making up these figures?
Are the comments on your latest post from random people, or are they from warm leads travelling through your sales funnel?
Are your followers ever going to buy from you, or are they your Mum’s friends?
Are the people clicking through to your website potential customers, or randoms tempted by a freebie?
Even if your analytics say your social media content is overperforming, if it’s not from the right people, your content might, actually, be underperforming.
How to improve poor content
Well, let’s just flip the previous points on their head…
1. See what’s worked before.
2. Produce content you would want to see.
3. Make sure it appeals to your target market.
Sometimes, it’s not always that easy. So, if you’re struggling to turn your content ship around, keep seeking inspiration.
We’ve got tips scattered across our blog and we share insights on our social media profiles.
And if you’re still struggling, reach out. We don’t bite.
Let’s have a chat and see how we can get your content back on track.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
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