Social media is one of the best tools in a business’ marketing arsenal. It’s a platform where everything and everyone is connected. And while the algorithm can be tricky and changeable, if you’re on someone’s feed, there’s a reason you showed up.

It’s this sense of interconnectivity that gives even a small business the chance to get ahead of the game. You can be where your customers are without them even needing to know your name.

However, it’s these very same benefits that often make small business owners turn away from social media.

Because this connectivity doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time and effort to build up, and even then, a tweak in the algorithm can tank your standing in the space of a few hours.

So, when social media doesn’t seem to be working for your business, what are you supposed to do? Here are a few suggestions to check out.

Stop Spreading Yourself Thin

Not every social media platform or channel is going to bring in views, follows, likes, and comments. Focusing on the ones that do is key to making sure you’re not spreading yourself thin and losing out.

If one platform is underperforming, cut it loose. Stop worrying about it and put that energy into creating content for the channels that do work for you.

Look at Your Recent Followers

You’re going to have a few to scope out, so it makes sense to check in with them and see what brought them to your page in the first place.

Now, this isn’t always the easiest thing to do — especially when it comes to Instagram — so you might need to follow a guide on checking your instagram recent followers list to get the most out of this step.

But finding out about the follower journey is key to understanding what you’re doing that’s working well. It’s also key to highlighting the content you post that has the power to make your page more popular.

Kickstart Your Growth

Most business accounts have a core following of some kind. A handful of people who followed because they like your product, or they’ve had a good experience in the past, or that they simply know you.

All of these motivations can be used to kickstart your growth. After all, you just need to engage with this core circle and ask them to push the word out wider.

You need to make it easy for them to do so, however. That’s why competitions and giveaways are so common to see on social media. You’re asking those who love your brand to spread the word in a more direct way.

A few tagged users in the comments can be all you need to see your post get a lot of engagement, your profile get a lot of views, and your follower count to rise higher and higher.

When social media doesn’t seem to be working for your business, something about your marketing strategy needs to change.