Most social media strategies suck.

The problem with most social media strategies is that they are managed by marketers.

I am not saying marketers shouldn’t manage social media. I’m saying that there needs to be a distinction between efforts to promote a brand, and efforts to communicate with a brand’s existing fan base.

Most social media strategies I see involve posting nothing but promotional content. Follow us, buy this, visit our website, come visit our business, etc. Everything has a call-to-action or some kind of tracked KPI.

The problem is that social media is not a promotional arena in the same way that advertising is. Social media is exactly what the name implies: social.

Social media is about communicating with fans, customers, and potential customers. Social media is about engaging with people and allowing them to engage with you.

Simply put, if every social media post you publish is promotional, you are doing it wrong.

Imagine you are at Disneyland, and everywhere you look, you see signage encouraging you to visit Disneyland. That wouldn’t make sense, right? You are already there.

That’s what it feels like to follow a brand that only posts promotional content. If someone is already following you, they don’t need more encouragement to follow you.

So, what are you supposed to post about?

Like I said, social media is about communicating with your existing followers. People like to do business with brands they know and trust, so your social media strategy should help people get to know your brand. Post human moments that showcase your brand’s personality and connection to its community. Post things for fun.

I can’t dictate your brand’s personality to you because it’s yours. You need to decide what your values are and who your community is. Then all you have to do is talk to them.

My suggestion is to follow an 80/20 rule where 80% of your posts are human, community-driven posts meant to connect, while 20% of your posts are promotional.

Social media strategies need to be far more than simply promoting your company. That’s what an advertising strategy is for. Social media strategies need to be about building trust and loyalty by showcasing your company’s human side and your connection to your community.

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