Social Media FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in Business. Why does it exist?

Social Media FOMO does exist in business. I’m often asked by business owners if they should be present on all the top 4/5 social media channels. My answer is often “NO” – depending on the business.

They often will see competitors active on channels they might not themselves be present on, and panic sets in.

Although competitors may be present, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the platforms are working for them or that they will work for every business of the same nature.

My advice is to always ensure that your efforts and resources are being ploughed into the platforms that are going to help you achieve the goals which are aligned with your own business/marketing strategy.

Look at your target audience vs the user demographic of the platforms in question before setting up a channel. Always understand where your audiences are present and most engaged before defining your business’ social media channel plan.

A ‘dead’ channel, where there is no action or engagement is potentially more damaging to your brand and business than a channel that doesn’t exist at all.

If the demographic and capabilities of the social media channels you’re looking at do not align with your social media and marketing strategies, then you shouldn’t need to be there.

It’s always good to:

1. Understand platform demographics before setting up any social media channel.

2. Follow your competition to understand the landscape you're up against.

3. Focus on your strategy and make your social media objectives ladder up to your business ambitions.

In summary, focus on the channels that matter, because the risk of being present on platforms that do not align with your business and marketing strategies will spread your time and resource too thinly. Focus on the channels where your target audiences are active and engaged.

Contact Cyclone Marketing UK for more guidance on social media strategy, alignment, and planning.

Blog written by:

Tanya Whymark

Strategist and Director

Cyclone Marketing UK.

#socialmedia #socialmediamarketing #socialmediaFOMO #digitalmarketing