Almost all small businesses (93%) in the U.S. face at least one widespread social media challenge, according to a new survey report from Visual Objects, a visual guide to finding and hiring the best creative firms.

Visual Objects surveyed 500 small business owners and managers in the U.S. about their most significant social media challenge. The most notable social media challenges among small businesses were:

• Gaining new followers (19%)

• Increasing engagement (17%)

• Posting content consistently (12%)

• Creating content (11%)

Businesses Struggle to Increase Engagement and Followers on Instagram

Connecting with new followers and engaging them with content was most difficult for small businesses that use Instagram to market their brand.

Nineteen percent of small businesses (19%) that use Instagram identified followers and engagement as their most severe social media challenges.

Experts recommend small businesses hone their visual brand to achieve success on Instagram. Sharon Mills, the lead publicist at BySBM, recommends using engagement metrics on past posts to inform new content.

"Pay attention to which types of posts get the most engagement and focus on creating more content like that."

Creating Content Is Challenging for Businesses on TikTok

Visual Objects found that 17% of businesses that use TikTok think creating content is their most prominent social media challenge.

While some brands have been successful with TikTok campaigns, rapidly-changing trends and the app's young user base pose difficulties as companies acclimate to the app.

Small businesses may not have the time or resources to make creative videos and track TikTok trends. Marketers suggest outsourcing work like this to an experienced social media provider.

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

"Video takes more work than just writing a blog post, so I can see that being an issue for many small businesses that don't have the time."

Generating Leads Is an Obstacle for Businesses on LinkedIn

Almost a third of small businesses (32%) using LinkedIn found that generating qualified leads was their greatest challenge.

Generating leads was the most significant challenge across social channels but was most severe among LinkedIn users.

The B2B nature of the business-driven social platform demands that companies rethink their LinkedIn social media strategy. Small businesses cannot replicate consumer-driven strategies for success on this platform.

Experts recommend prioritizing profit and ROI metrics rather than focusing on engagement, like consumer-driven social media strategies. Metrics aligned with companies' bottom lines will help inform a content strategy that more effectively generates leads.  

Read the full report: https://visualobjects.com/blog/digital-marketing/social-media-challenges

For questions about the survey, contact Sydney Wess at [email protected].