Social
A social plan that brings enquiries, not likes
On social the point is not being there: it is making it pay. Likes flatter the ego, enquiries pay the bills.
A social plan that brings enquiries starts from the objective, picks the channels where your audience actually is, publishes to a plan and measures real enquiries rather than applause. The right question is not «how many likes did I get», but «how many enquiries came in».
Being on social is taken for granted now. The point is not being there: it is making it pay. A restaurant and a phone shop do not live on social the same way, and likes on their own have never paid a wage. The right question is not «how many likes did I get», but «how many enquiries came in». Here is how to think about it.
Likes flatter the ego, enquiries pay the bills.
First of all: tidy up
The heart of social is the relationship, which is why the Social Video Club exists. Before publishing anything, check the basics on every platform:
- Company details and contacts correct, everywhere.
- No duplicate profiles or pages talking about you outside your control.
- A clear starting point to measure results from.
1. Bring your customer into focus
You cannot talk to «everyone»: talk to everyone and you talk to nobody. Build a picture of who you want to reach: how old they are, what they do, what problems they have, which platforms they spend time on, what they want. The sharper the portrait, the harder your content lands. Make two or three that differ from each other: your customers are not all the same.
2. Give yourself a measurable objective
«I want to sell ten units in ten days», «I want twenty quote requests in a month». Whatever it is, it needs a number and a deadline. Without them you will never know whether it worked.
3. Pick the right platforms (not all of them)
You do not have to be everywhere, you have to be where your audience is:
- Instagram and TikTok: images and short video, discovery, wide audience.
- Facebook: local communities and older age groups.
- LinkedIn: if you sell to other businesses, this is where the game is played.
- YouTube: longer video, which stays put and keeps getting found over time.
And one truth to accept: the free reach of the old days is gone. Today the platforms show your content to a small slice of your own followers, and reaching more people generally takes at least some paid advertising. Budget for it from the start.
4. Publish things somebody would actually share
Before publishing, one question: «would I share this? would my audience?». People share what touches them closely or what makes them look good: useful things, things that teach them something, things that make them feel understood. The real signal is not the like: it is comments and shares. And on format there is no argument left: short video travels furthest. Which is why social videos always need subtitles, because almost everyone watches them with the sound off.
5. Look at the numbers and change course if you need to
Remember the objective from point 2? Halfway through, go and see how it is doing, so you still have time to correct. Do not fall in love with your own ideas: if a route brings no results, change it. If you are convinced and it just needs longer, carry on. Both take honesty with yourself, and the numbers in front of you.
In short
Social is not a machine for manufacturing likes: it is a channel for getting into a relationship with the right people and turning them into customers, like any other advertising worth the name. Measure the enquiries coming in, not the applause.
- Give every campaign an objective with a number and a deadline: without them you will never know if it worked.
- Be where your audience is, not everywhere: a few channels looked after beat presence all over the place.
- Measure the enquiries coming in, not the applause: comments and shares count for more than likes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be on every platform?
No. Better to do it well where your audience is than badly everywhere. A restaurant and a phone shop do not live on the same channels. Pick a few, look after them, and leave the rest alone.
How often should I publish?
Consistency counts, not volume. A few good posts on a regular rhythm beat a pile of improvised ones followed by silence. A pace you can sustain beats the sprint that exhausts you in a month.
Are likes worth anything?
Not much, if that is all they are. A post with a thousand likes and no enquiries entertained people, it did not sell. Look at how many write, ask, buy: that is the number that counts.