8 Biggest Social Media Marketing Challenges in 2024

I’m not going to rehash what you already know. We all know social media isn't what it used to be.

Remember when just about any ad on social media would catch our eye? Well, those days are long gone. Flash forward from that era to 2024 and what do we see?

GenAI has taken the lead, changing the entire Socialverse. and throwing new social media marketing challenges at us left, right and center. Social media marketing strategies that worked last year or even last quarter might barely make a splash in 2024. You’ve probably seen it with your own eyes.

With AI taking center stage of social media marketing campaigns. We're talking about the whole shebang: from brainstorming post ideas and scheduling your posts to monitoring their performance across all channels.

However, let's not forget one thing amid this AI-driven hustle. The heart of social media still beats with authentic, raw and relatable stories. And yes, those still need the human touch, the authentic connection that no algorithm or AI can replace.

8 common challenges that brands and their social media teams are facing

Social media marketing can seem like a BIG and intricate puzzle if you're unfamiliar with how it operates in this AI-driven era. But getting to grips with its challenges means you're better equipped to handle them, maybe even eliminate them.

Here are some of the major social media marketing challenges that are currently keeping you and the top marketing leaders up at night.

Challenge #1: Being on too many social media platforms

Juggling to be on different channels feels like trying to keep too many tabs open in your browser — overwhelming, right? Everyone's doing it and feeling the stress, not just you. On average, people are navigating through seven different social networks each month, all in the quest to stay connected and relevant. Influencers, too are bouncing around like pinballs, chasing the next big trend on different channels for more likes and visibility. But honestly, managing to stay active and relevant across all these channels is a Herculean task.

So, how do you conquer the FOMO and ensure your social media efforts pack a punch?

✅ First off, don’t be pressurized to be everywhere, just because everyone is doing it. Go where your target audience hangs out. If they’re scrolling through Instagram more, that’s where you should be. If they’re debating on X, join the conversation there. It’s all about connecting where your audience is most active. 

✅ Second, resist the urge to spread yourself too thin. Identify your social media goals — be it brand awareness, lead generation, or customer support — and let that guide your choice of social media platforms.  

✅ Finally, opt for the ones where you can maintain a consistent presence and engage effectively. Remember, consistency is key to building trust and engagement.

Challenge #2: Not speaking like your target audience does

If you're not speaking your audience's language, don’t expect to hit it off with them. You need to get their tone, taste and their struggles, too.

Posting random stuff on your channels without understanding what resonates with your followers is like setting yourself up for a facepalm moment🙁

Why? Because your audience won’t just sit around, waiting for you to finally post something that grabs their attention for good.

They'll drift away easily if they don’t find content that speaks to them or soothes their sore spots!

So, before you hit 'send' on that reply, here are a few things you should keep in mind. 

🔎 Learn about their interests: What makes them tick? What are they passionate about? 

🔎 Find out what motivates them: What keeps them going? What are they aiming for? 

🔎 Understand their pain points: What’s tripping them up? What keeps them awake at night?

Now you can’t exactly get these insights by reading your audience’s mind, can you? But an Audience Insights tool gets you close. It slices through the clutter, dishing out clear, actionable insights on your audience’s behavior with precision that manual analysis just can’t match. Save time and sharpen your social media strategy with a tool designed to understand your audience better.

Intrigued?

Wait, the list doesn’t end here. 

You should keep your social media messages simple and crystal clear. Check out our blog on social media messaging if you want to dive deeper.

You’ll also need to skip the jargon dense terms and industry gibberish. Your brand’s voice should resonate with your audience's everyday language but keep it polite and straightforward. Talk to your audience as if you’re right there with them, staying clear of any stiff industry speak.  After all, creating genuine connections in this digital age is all about keeping it real and relatable.

Challenge #3: Not having a social media marketing strategy for each platform

Every brand absolutely needs a robust social media game plan. It’s a given. But you need to understand how your audience rolls on each of these different social channels. Without that knowledge, trying to engage with them is like shooting blindfolded.

And guess what? It gets even thicker. Each social media platform has its own vibe, rules and algorithms. Moreover, they pull in different crowds, meaning they cater to varied demographics. For instance, a massive 87% of millennials are using Facebook weekly way more than other age groups. Meanwhile, only about 36% of Gen Z folks drop by Facebook that often.

And many brands falter here because they don’t recognize these differences and try to squeeze a one-size-fits-all strategy onto all channels.

Sounds like too much work?

You can leverage Generative AI for social media to do all the heavy lifting, from post creation to tone moderation, so you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of a tailored social media strategy and scale your online presence with a few clicks.

Challenge #4: Effectively responding to and managing negative comments or reviews

Negative feedback and comments are an inevitable part of your social media. Dodging them isn’t the way to go about it.

In fact, those not-so-great comments are actually your golden opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings and engage directly with your customers, especially the ones who are really upset and angry 😊

Here’s a quick suggestion from Sprinklr’s playbook, and maybe you can use it too:

Never think about sweeping negative comments under the rug or respond defensively. That’s a surefire way to annoy your customers further. In fact, a Trustpilot survey pointed out that 62% of folks are turned off by brands that censor user reviews!

So, the next time you’re contemplating hitting ‘delete’ on a negative comment or a troll, pause and think again. That move could be a major BLUNDER!

But it's not all despair.

You might not be able to undo past responses to negative comments, but you definitely can get better at handling them from here on. 

There are different social media monitoring and social listening tools that have made it way easier to keep an ear to the ground and respond to customer concerns promptly, showing you’re in tune and care about what they think.

Challenge #5: Controlling hard-selling and self-promoting

John Steinbeck once said, “Perhaps the less we have, the more we are required to brag”. It’s like he foresaw our social media tactics today😊

Sure, flaunting your offerings or brand is good, but don’t overdo it. Yes, talk about what you offer, but don’t make it your only conversation.

Talking about yourself is good but not all the time. Brand or person. Doesn’t matter! Too much self-hype and promotion can make your audience bounce faster than you can say “Buy now!”

Here’s our two cents...

Whether it’s about showcasing your corporate or personal brand, you should know when and how to strike a balance. Aggressive, advertisement-style promotions are passe. Instead, use user-generated content (UGC) and share it across your social channels.

Why so?

Millennials trust UGC 50% more than brand-made content. Plus, ads with UGC can snag up to four times the click-through rates than the standard ones.  

So, how do you get your hands on the UGC gold?

Hunt down high-quality posts and keywords linked to your niche and brand (or let tools like Sprinklr handle it 😉). Then, re-share this content on your socials and let it shine. Don’t overlook basic social media posting etiquette, such as getting approval from original posters and giving them credit in your reshares.

 Need inspiration? Channelize these 10+ Creative Ideas for Social Media Posts in 2024

Challenge #6: Inability to generate leads through social media

You're doing great with social media — posting regularly, giving shoutouts and running contests. But the big question is: are you converting this social media engagement into leads? If not, you’re skipping a beat on a major success metric.

The challenge often lies in not providing a clear and actionable pathway for your audience within your posts. Additionally, when you include too many options or overload them with information, it can overwhelm your audience and lead to decision paralysis. This leaves them wondering, "Okay, what am I supposed to do first here?”

Here’s the fix, backed by social media marketing best practices:

a) Optimize your profile for conversion: Ensure your social media profiles include direct links to lead generation forms, contact pages or product landing pages. This makes it easy for interested followers to take the next step

b) Create engaging content with a purpose: Craft content that’s meant to pull in leads, like special deals, free downloads or webinars. And when you put it out there on social media, keep it focused. Don’t cram every post with a zillion CTAs or too much info. Trade value for their trust and watch them lean in

c) Guide the journey: Plan out the journey you want your followers to take. If boosting sales is the goal, guide them to your sales page. If you’re looking to grow your subscriber list, highlight the signup form

d) Flaunt the love: Use customer testimonials and success stories to build credibility and inspire others to take action. Seeing others’ positive experiences can persuade your audience to engage more deeply with your brand

Challenge #7: Over-reliance on marketing automation tools

Are you also leaning too much on automation and AI tools for social media marketing? Careful there, because while they’re awesome for the grunt work like scheduling posts and tracking campaign performance, they can suck the soul out of what makes social media tick: the human touch.

Need an example of what can go wrong further if you rely too much on automation?

Say you're running a restaurant and you've got your social media posts all queued up for the week. All seems cool, until a well-known food critic pops in unannounced, slams your best dish online and suddenly, you're the hot gossip.

Now, because you’re all in on automation, you totally miss the chance of engaging with the flood of chatter, be it bad buzz or even some good shoutouts. You’re stuck in the slow lane, unable to react, clarify or ride the wave of attention! Sad.

So, how can you strike a balance?

• Blend automation with human creativity and judgement: Use automation for repetitive tasks but under human oversight and be ready to engage when needed. 
• Set up alerts for brand mentions: As explained earlier, stay in the loop with real-time notifications for when your brand is mentioned, so you can respond promptly and appropriately. 
• Regularly review your automation settings: Keep your automated responses and scheduled posts in check to ensure they remain relevant and sensitive to current events. 

 Find out more: How to Create a Marketing Automation Strategy

Challenge #8: Overusing generative AI for creating complex social media posts

Now GenAI can be a powerful tool that can churn out content at warp speed, which can be a boon for businesses aiming to build a consistent social media presence. But don’t get too comfortable with it. Here are two key reasons why: 

• Authenticity and relevance at risk: Sometimes, AI-generated posts can come off as a bit robotic or miss the beat on what’s happening in the real world. Like, if it totally skips over a big cultural moment, it can make your brand seem out of touch. 
• Potential for misinterpretation: AI can sometimes get context and sentiment wrong, leading to messages and posts that might rub people the wrong way. There’ve been times when AI-generated stuff ended up being a tad insensitive or just plain off.

What to do about it?

Think of AI-generated content as your first draft – it's just the beginning. Don’t rush to publish it. Give it a good once-over (or twice), checking for its fit, feel and facts. Basically, be your own content editor to ensure everything is spot-on.

While AI’s great for speeding up content creation, don’t let it run the show. Keep your creative juices flowing and don’t sideline your critical thinking. Mix AI’s efficiency with your human insight to strike the perfect balance. That's the secret sauce to keeping your social media content genuine, relatable to your audience and on point.

How to optimize social media content with generative AI the right way

Read the Article

Final thoughts

So, there you have it. Navigating the social media marketing universe today is like exploring a vast, ever-changing cosmos with a telescope (a big one!). Every day, a new trend goes viral or a new platform pops up. Getting everything right and dodging the social media challenges we've talked about isn’t easy. The truth is, every brand, whether big or small, might bump into these eight challenges at some point. But what really matters is how you tackle them.

And remember, you don't need a huge team or any extravagant social media management tools for this. Even if you have a small team, take it one step at a time. Test things out and don't get discouraged if you don't see instant results. Social media success is a journey, not a destination. Keep at it and you’ll eventually be the talk of the town or at least the talk of your niche😊

While you're exploring, why not check out what Sprinklr Social can do for you? Take it for a spin– see if it’s your kind of thing.