Every social network will break your heart. 💔 Especially if you're managing a brand account.
The "Social Network Lifecycle" is the reason why.
Early in its life, a social network will incentivize content creation. Most of your brand account's posts will be winners!
(Remember the early days on Instagram? 😍)
You grow your brand's following. The network grows its user base. It's a win-win. 🤝
But at some point, the network needs to generate serious revenue.
That's when the network's algorithm kicks in:
"Oh, this is a NON-SPONSORED brand post? Bury it! ☠️"
Your posts? Like they never existed.
Your followers? Good luck reaching them.
It's pay-to-play now. 💵💰
In fact I regularly see accounts with 250k(!) followers get only 10-20 likes on their posts. 🤯
So what should you do?...
1. Reframe. Unless you have the budget for paid ads, never assume continued success on any social media network. Engagement for brands can fall off a cliff anytime.
2. Stop Guessing. Too many times I hear companies say "We need to focus on X social network." Again, if you have the budget for paid ads, sure. But even then...which network and why? Will that network look the same in 6-12 months? (Hi, Twitter) And what about the next hot network to come along?
3. Join Forces w/ Your Employees. Guess who social networks NEED in order to stay alive? Yup, individual users. Users just like your employees. That's why people get 10-50x as much reach per post as brand accounts do. Plus, your employees already have the followers, are already connected to buyers and talent, and are way more diversified across networks than your brand account.
Next time you have something to share, ask your employees to share it on their accounts, wherever they want.
