A Watched Pot Never Boils: Slow Growth on Social

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A watched pot never boils. You’ve put the water in the pot, heated up the stove, placed the pot on the stove and still, all you can do is wait.

There’s more than one industry in which this idiom applies, but I’ve found it especially true in the world of social media. Even after all the work of setting up your social strategy, a following does not appear after your first post. And it likely won’t appear after even your 35^th post. And even when your following does appear, you’ll struggle to get them to interact with you.

These things take time.

A Watched Pot Never Boils: Slow Growth on Social

For instance, I think back to when I set up RedMoxy’s Google+ account. I did some research, figured out best strategies, uploaded a nice profile picture, filled out our company information, and posted our first update. I had put in the work, done my research…but that wasn’t enough. In many industries, there’s an immediate payout for that kind of effort. But not here. It may take years before RedMoxy’s Google+ is at the same level of, say, Purple PR, with a 1,000+ following. And we might never reach the levels of Sprout Social, with their following of 24,000+.

The thing is, though, that these cold, hard facts regarding your slow-growing social media strategy shouldn’t be perceived as a negative. Don’t let slow growth on social keep you from fully investing in social media platforms.

Allow me to explain.

Many look to their social media platforms and then look to their return on investment. I can tell you right now, you’re likely not going to see one, at least not for a long time (and the length of that long time depends on a number of factors). Don’t think of your social strategy as another way to make money—think of it as a way to strengthen your brand’s name. That’s the key take-away from this blog post. You’ve put your company on social media platforms in order to grow your company’s name, and you’re doing that whether or not you’re experiencing slow growth on social.

Are you a small, family owned shoe store focusing on quality over quantity? Live and breathe that quality on your platforms. Are you a non-profit, eager to spread the word about the nobility of your cause? Talk about it! All the time, on as many places (platforms) as you can manage (and manage well). Your marching orders: increase your brand’s presence online.

Everyone is online. That’s hardly even an exaggeration anymore. Give your brand a high-quality appeal on your chosen platforms, and your audience will notice. Eventually. It might seem like no one is noticing, but, remember, your standard consumer is the quiet-ish majority.

Invest in your social strategy, and invent in it for them—the quiet-ish majority.