The right kind of busy: why social media multi-tasking is counter-productive

Thank goodness for social media management tools like Hootsuite. Brands would barely keep up with their social channels without this platform and many others like it. We create a new Twitter hashtag at the same time that we upload a video to YouTube and post that awesome photo on Facebook. But what business objectives does this all achieve?

We are constantly chasing after the consumer in the many spaces in which we know they play. It’s almost as though we’re saying “if I didn’t catch you here, I’ll catch you there” — classic Tom & Jerry style. In a clutter filled digital space, I’d like to venture that multitasking is counterproductive. At the beginning of social media, very few people understood this new phenomenon so brands got on the bandwagon — without knowing where this wagon was headed.

Engagement vs push

Do you know what drives engagement in your social communities? How much of the content is push, and how many is created by genuine engagement by your communities. Some brands still focus on reaching a million followers, but don’t worry when they have a 0,001% engagement level.

Becoming the observer brand

Self-regulating and self engaging communities will be the way in which brands rate social media success in the not so distant future. Brands should facilitate the conversations and watch them unfold.

Is it too taboo to suggest that your brand deactivate its Facebook account for example, if it does not do what it was meant to achieve? Can you tell a brand that its highest engagement levels are actually on a more niche platform and that is where their efforts should go? Seventy-percent of engagement on Pinterest is user-generated — how engaged are your communities?

Insights led social media

Brand social media strategies are still not as insights-led as their other marketing efforts may be — this is where the fragmentation occurs. Some brands still do not know exactly who their Twitter followers are and which of those are within their primary customer base and exactly what they want to achieve with the community.

Know why you’re on a particular platform, who you are talking to, and most importantly, what they want to hear and talk about.

Yes, you’re busy, but are you busy with the right things?