Many small businesses face the same social media challenges. Companies need to adapt to the unique features of social media platforms to best use their marketing resources to implement a cross-channel strategy.

Small businesses are continuing to invest in social media marketing. Most small businesses engage with followers at minimum weekly on various social media platforms.

But, it’s not easy to turn awareness into conversions. Despite small-business engagement on social media, less than half of marketers believe social media generates an ROI (return on investment).

Many small businesses have difficulty gaining a following on social media platforms and raising brand awareness.

Although small businesses may face many social media challenges, they are not the only ones that have to deal with them.

Visual Objects surveyed 500 managers and owners of small businesses to identify the most pressing social media issues in the market. The goal was to provide solutions and learn.

Our findings

• Nearly all small businesses (93%) have problems with social media, which indicates nuanced challenges as well as best practices across various social platforms.

• Small businesses (roughly 19%) have the most difficulty with Instagram getting new followers. This highlights the need for a compelling content strategy.

• LinkedIn shows that 32% of small businesses struggle to generate high-quality leads. This is a sign of unique obstacles in the B2B social network.

• As they adjust to TikTok’s rapidly-growing platform, 17% of small businesses have difficulty creating content.

• A software solution may be able to help businesses with fewer employees (16%) who struggle to establish consistent posting times.

Assuming Social Media Challenges Are Straightforward

A large majority of small businesses acknowledge that they have faced at least one major problem with their social media performance.

Although social media platforms might seem simple and approachable for marketing, many nuances can make it difficult.

93% of small business owners are currently facing major social media challenges in their marketing efforts.

The most commonly mentioned social media challenges include generating high-quality leads (21%), increasing audience engagement (17%), and posting content (12%) regularly.

Meagan Morris is a senior SEO strategist at Hurrdat marketing. She discusses the important things to consider before you make a post. This illustrates social media’s complex nature.

Morris stated, “As we all know being on social media is essential for a company, but I always emphasize quality over quantity.” Before you send out a single post, there are many factors to consider.

Morris suggests that small businesses ask the following questions before posting on social media:

• Is the post in line with your larger business goals?
• Is the messaging in the content consistent with your brand?
• Are the contents engaging and pertinent?
• Are you able to include a visually appealing graphic or video?
• Which platform is the best for this post?
• Are you consistent in posting and keeping an active presence?

Social media marketing can be more complex than it sounds, especially for small businesses that have limited resources. Most small businesses will face major social media challenges and must plan their cross-channel strategy keeping these issues in mind.

Engage with Instagram Followers and Connect

Instagram is a platform that allows companies to visually showcase their products and compete with bigger brands. However, small businesses struggle to gain new followers and increase engagement on the platform.

For 19% of small business owners on Instagram, the biggest challenge are finding new followers and engaging them in content.

While Instagram provides businesses with opportunities for success, it requires companies to use their brand voice and brand identity to attract their audience.

It can be difficult to find the right tone and voice for your audience. But the answers might already be in your profile.

Sharon Mills is the lead publicist at by SBM and recommends small businesses use engagement metrics from past posts to their advantage.

Mills stated that small businesses should focus on the engagement rates of each post, and not their overall accounts. “Pay attention to the posts that get the most engagement, and then focus on creating more of those types of content.”

“Audit which posts are most popular and then focus your efforts on creating more of those types of content.”

By looking at content that has been successful in the past, small businesses can get insight into which content is most popular with their target audience. You can create a consistent brand voice and visual aesthetic on the platform to attract new followers once you have identified the right niche.

Small businesses can find Instagram difficult for them to navigate, especially if they are looking for engagement and followers. Companies can still cater to their expanding audiences by critically reviewing their most successful content and inventing new posts.

Generating Leads On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media platform that allows small businesses to network with professionals and offers unique business-focused features. Small businesses often have difficulty generating leads based on their LinkedIn activity.

Nearly three-quarters of small businesses using LinkedIn (32%) say that generating qualified leads has been their greatest social media challenge.

Visual Objects discovered that generating qualified leads was the biggest social media problem across all platforms. However, the worst problem is on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a popular place to make business connections and build relationships with other professionals. Small businesses don’t feel the same way.

Small businesses may find it difficult to convert LinkedIn users due to the B2B nature of LinkedIn. Companies can’t duplicate their Facebook or Instagram strategies on LinkedIn to achieve success. LinkedIn requires a new approach.

On consumer-driven channels, for instance, engagement metrics can feel extremely important. They may not be a priority at LinkedIn. Digital marketing agencies in new york recommend that companies looking to convert should pay more attention to conversion metrics than engagement metrics.

Jackie Kossoff is a design and marketing consultant who warns small businesses not to prioritize engagement over generating high-quality leads on any social media platform.

Kossoff stated that too often businesses focus on engagement when they neglect profits and ROI. “Especially in paid advertising, it is common for businesses with low engagement levels to reap incredible returns,” Kossoff said.

“Too often, I see businesses placing too much emphasis on engagement over profits and ROI.”

Engagement should not be prioritized above business bottom lines. It will be easier to generate leads through unique platforms such as LinkedIn if you are focusing on ROI and conversions.

Create Content on TikTok

Although TikTok is growing in popularity among social media users, small businesses still need to get used to video-sharing platform for creating content.

TikTok users believe that creating content is the most important social media challenge for small businesses.

TikTok was founded in 2016 and has been called the “wild west” of social media marketing. This relatively new platform is driven primarily by young users and rapidly changing trends. It makes for an unpredictable marketing environment.

Some consumer brands have had success with TikTok marketing, and many rely on their appeal to younger audiences.

You need compelling video content to match current trends, even if your company is positioned on TikTok.

Crystal Statskey is OBM, Visibility Strategist and agrees that creating video content for small businesses is a common social media challenge.

Starsky stated that TikTok is the best platform for small businesses looking to reach younger generations. Video is more labor-intensive than writing a blog post. Small businesses don’t have that time, and I can see why.

The video takes more work than writing a blog post. I can see this being an issue for small businesses that don’t have the time.

Statskey recommends that companies with limited resources outsource projects to video production firms. Small businesses can create content on TikTok easier if they are looking to try the platform.

Posting Consistently with Limited Resources

Smaller businesses that have fewer employees often struggle to post content consistently.

16% of small businesses have fewer than 50 employees and find it harder to be active on social media than their larger counterparts.

Small businesses often have limited resources for social media marketing. Employees who have multiple responsibilities and are trying to post consistently can find it difficult.

Social media experts suggest making marketing easier for employees by using a social media management tool like Hootsuite. Small businesses can reap the following benefits from these software systems:

• Management of the community
• Post scheduling
• Analytics and Reporting

Social media software is used by less than one-third of small businesses. Meranda Vieyra, Denver Legal Marketing believes that automation programs are crucial to a successful social media strategy.

Vieyra stated that smart businesses automate social media using programs such as Hootsuite. It allows them to keep a consistent presence on their social media channels, even when they’re busy or distracted.

Social media management software can keep your posts on schedule even when your employees are working on other business goals. Software systems that manage social media will ensure consistency in posts.

Take a measured approach to social media challenges

Nearly all small businesses are affected by social media challenges.

These are the most prevalent social media problems in the current environment:

• Social media is complex and easy to underestimate
• Engaging and finding Instagram followers
• LinkedIn leads high quality
• TikTok Content Creation
• Consistent posting with fixed resources

Companies can avoid common social media challenges and their negative effects by adjusting their strategies to reflect best practices.