No fairy tale endings for your social media posts

Don’t waste your money hiring us to write great blog posts for your business’s social media accounts — unless you’re also willing to pay to push them on your target platforms.

We can certainly create attention-grabbing copy and help your message stand out. But the reality today is that almost no one will see your firm’s social media posts unless you have a budget to get them in people’s feeds.

The fairy tale of the social media world — that you can just click “post” on a distinctive and engaging message then sit back and watch it reach hundreds of thousands or millions of people — has become a reality for some. But you need to stop believing that you might get lucky, too.

Today, you’ve got to pay to play.

“It’s no secret that mature social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube now require paid investment in content for brands to achieve significant KPI”

The odds are stacked against you

First of all, there’s just far too much clutter.

There are 2.9 billion users on Facebook, more than two billion users on Instagram, more than one billion users on TikTok, 396.5 million users (and bots?) on Twitter, and 830 million users on LinkedIn. Many of them are posting regularly, vying for even just a split second of attention.

And the task of getting your message seen is even harder in Japan. According to Global Web Index, the average time people spend on social media here is just 51 minutes per day. That’s compared with a global daily average of 2 hours and 27 minutes.

But more importantly, social media platforms are now doing everything they can to maximize their returns. Their algorithms hinder businesses’ posts from reaching large numbers of people. Companies are simply expected to pay to get their content seen.

So, are you still holding on to the hope that your message will go viral organically? You need to take a moment right now to realize that the odds are stacked against you.

The bottom line: Don’t bother creating content for social media that you can’t afford to promote.

What you get when you’re willing to pay

Many major companies with huge numbers of followers already know that paid social promotion is essential to targeting audiences, generating leads, and driving sales.

The social operations lead for Coca-Cola wrote the following in a LinkedIn post.

“It’s no secret that mature social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube now require paid investment in content for brands to achieve significant KPI. Often, a Facebook page with no Fans can drive greater visibility with $500 of investment than a page can achieve organically with 90 Million+ Fans.”

When you recognize that paying to push content on social media is your only option, you’ll find that there are a number of benefits for your firm:

– You’re guaranteed to get in people’s feeds, allowing you to boost visibility, reach, and awareness for your brand
– You can have your content shown to a carefully targeted audience, giving you a better chance of turning those who see your post into clients
– You can get in people’s feeds right away
– Depending on the platform, even a small budget of just a few thousand yen can put your message in the feeds of hundreds of people in your target audience

You still need a distinctive message

And, of course, when you’re ready to pay to promote your content, you can’t forget that your message needs to be worthy of people’s attention. Lots of other companies are paying to get into the feeds of your target audience, so your posts need to be exceptional.

Make sure your message stands out by
– being creative
– saying something meaningful to your target audience
– clearly communicating your message
– and reflecting the essence of your brand

If you need help creating your message or want to discuss a good social media strategy for your business in Japan, then we’d love to hear from you.