September 22, 2023
Social Media Has Left the Building
Paying for social media management is one of the most common conversations we have with clients — and it’s getting harder to make the case for it. Here’s an honest look at why social media has lost its edge, and what to focus on instead.
One of the most common conversations I have with clients is about whether it makes sense to pay someone to handle their social media. It’s a fair question — and an increasingly difficult one to answer in social media’s favor. Here are my top three reasons why social media is no longer the marketing powerhouse it once was.
The Cost of Audience Development
Not long ago, businesses had it made. Building an audience on social media was as simple as creating a page and posting content. You could garner likes, shares, and followers with just a few clicks — and it was completely free. Every post seemed to gain a new follower, every offer attracted a new client. Until suddenly, it didn’t.
All at once, brands that used to get hundreds of likes dropped to three. Brands gaining dozens of new followers a day dropped to zero — unless they wanted to pay. What used to happen organically now has a price tag, and it rarely offers a sensible return. By some estimates, a new Facebook or Instagram follower costs between $2 and $4. The math isn’t difficult: at $2 per follower, gaining 10,000 followers costs $20,000. And that’s before you factor in the algorithm.
The Algorithm
The algorithm decides which posts are seen by thousands — and which are seen by no one. It’s spawned an entire industry of people who claim to understand it and promise to optimize your results. That promise is rarely kept.
By our estimates, organic posts are seen by less than 4% of your total audience. At $2 per follower and 10,000 followers, only 400 people would see any given post. Of those, how many will interact — let alone make a purchase?
Don’t take my word for it. Look at the engagement rate on a recent organic post from any major brand — add up the interactions and divide by their total followers. The result will be eye-opening. The algorithm has made organic reach nearly irrelevant for most businesses, and there’s no reliable way to outsmart it.
Social Fatigue
The social media companies will tell you fatigue is a myth because their overall user counts keep rising. What they don’t address is how many of those accounts are fake, duplicate, or simply inactive. They also don’t talk about how many real users have quietly stepped back.
Most people I speak to aren’t enthusiastic about social media anymore. They complain about the toxicity, the politics, the misinformation, and the noise. Over time, that frustration turns into disengagement — fewer posts, less interaction, and eventually, logging in less and less. The audience businesses paid to build is increasingly checked out.
The Bottom Line
Social media still has a role to play — just not the one it used to. Our current guidance is to use it as a communications and credibility channel rather than a primary marketing driver. It’s less about finding new customers and more about reinforcing trust with people who are already paying attention.
For most businesses, we recommend handling social media in-house and directing marketing budgets toward strategies with a more dependable return. If you’re still hoping for results like it’s 2016, social media has left the building.
