You’re Posting Consistently. So Why Isn’t It Working?
Business owners reach out to me all the time, frustrated and asking, “What am I doing wrong on social media?”
They usually have theories. Maybe they’re not posting enough or their hashtags are off. Maybe they need to post at different times. And while those technical details matter, they’re rarely the real problem.
When I audit a business’s social media, here’s what I typically find: random posting with no thread connecting it all. One day they share a client win. The next day, a motivational quote. Then radio silence for a week.
The difference between businesses that generate real leads from social media and those that struggle comes down to one thing: strategy.
Businesses that focus on posts struggle. Businesses that focus on strategy don’t.
Here’s the question that matters: Are you just trying to fill your content calendar, or does every post have a purpose and a place within a larger plan?
What Post-Driven Social Media Looks Like (And Why It Fails)
Post-driven social media is what happens when you’re reacting instead of planning. You know you “should” be posting, so you find something to put out there. Here’s what that typically looks like:
- Posting whenever you remember to (or whenever panic sets in that it’s been too long)
- Frantically searching for content ideas at the last minute
- A lack of consistency in your voice, topics, or visual style
- No idea if anything is actually working because you don’t even know what to track
- Feeling exhausted from all the effort with zero results to show for it
This is where many business owners find themselves, posting regularly but seeing virtually no engagement or business results.
What Strategy-Driven Social Media Actually Means
Strategy-driven social media is wildly different than post-driven social media. Think about it like trying to cook something completely new for dinner, but without a recipe. Even missing one ingredient or adding too much of something can make the whole meal taste off.
Social media is the same. It can be subtle, but when there are elements missing, people might take a few polite bites, but then they’re off to something new.
Here’s what changes with a strategy:
Clear Content Pillars Guide Every Post
Instead of coming up with ideas when you sit down to create posts, you know which topics are your “gold” for your specific audience. Your content speaks consistently to what your ideal clients really care about, but in a way that feels personalized for both them and you.
Posting Rhythm Without Burnout
You’re not posting five times a day because someone told you that’s what works for them. You have a sustainable rhythm based on your capacity and your audience’s behaviour. Consistency matters more than volume.
Content That Reflects Your Business Goals
Every post has a detailed purpose and is actively tied to the rest of your marketing. Some posts educate, while others build trust. Some invite people to take action and some point to useful resources. But nothing goes out just to “fill space.”
Trackable Progress Toward Real Outcomes
You’re not guessing if it’s working. You know which content resonates, who’s engaging, and how social media is actually contributing to your business growth. Most importantly, you can actively adjust your strategy to reflect this information so you’re growing instead of maintaining.
The Real Difference: What Strategy-First Actually Looks Like
Strategy-driven social media transforms results. We’ve seen it happen repeatedly with clients who come to us feeling stuck.
Take one brand-new retail store in Edmonton that came to us with no social media presence. Within 30 days of implementing a strategic approach:
- They grew to nearly 2,000 organic followers (no paid ads)
- Their content generated over 113,000 views
- They built a community genuinely excited about their store opening
The reason for their success wasn’t because they were posting more frequently. It was that every single post had a strategic purpose. We paired quality content with daily community engagement. Our strategy was built on a simple premise: actively building relationships with local influencers and potential customers.
The result was a grand opening with real people showing up, not just online likes.
Why Most People End Up Post-Driven (And How to Fix It)
Most business owners end up in the “post-driven” category because:
- They’ve followed all the YouTube tutorials and “quick tips” that give out plenty of tactics, but no real framework. There’s no “why” behind it aside from the fact that it worked for someone else.
- They’re following conflicting advice. One expert says post three times a day, another says once a week, and someone else insists video is the only thing that works. They’re overwhelmed and trying to do everything at once.
- They think strategy must be complicated. They picture massive spreadsheets and complicated content calendars. In reality, a good strategy simplifies everything.
- They don’t realise how strategy saves time. It feels like creating a strategy would take forever, and that’s before they even get to content creation. But the secret is that once they have a strategy, they stop wasting hours second-guessing every post, or worse, creating content that doesn’t do much for their business anyway. .
We encourage our clients to put aside all the “shoulds” that are coming their way from completely different businesses with completely different circumstances. This is (and should be) all about you and your specific business—your goals, your vision, and your ideas.
Katie, one of our social media coaching clients, came to us feeling completely overwhelmed by social media. Through our work together, we developed a simple content strategy that felt authentic to her brand, created systems that made posting manageable, and started to identify what actually resonated with her ideal clients.
She went from dreading social media to feeling genuinely confident about her online presence. People consistently tell her how amazing her LinkedIn is. One of her posts performed so well it brought in substantial engagement, but more importantly, she built the confidence and skills to manage it herself (with a little support!)
What You Need: The Core Elements of a Strategy That Works
A social media strategy doesn’t need to be overwhelming. At its core, you need four things:
1. Platform Recommendations Based on Your Specific Business
Not every platform makes sense for every business. A good strategy identifies where your ideal clients actually spend their time and focuses your energy there. Other platforms can be included, but one or two should get 80% of your attention.
2. Content Pillars and Topic Ideas
These are the 3-5 topics you consistently discuss. They should reflect what your ideal clients care about and position you as the expert who can help them. When you have clear pillars, you never run out of content ideas because you always know what to talk about.
3. Content Calendar Framework (With Sustainability Built In)
This isn’t about posting as much as humanly possible. It’s about finding a sustainable frequency that keeps you visible without exhausting you. For some businesses, that’s three times a week. For others, it’s daily. The key is consistency, not volume, and a framework that actually works with your schedule.
4. Engagement Plan (How to Build Actual Relationships)
Here’s what most business owners skip: the engagement piece. Posting content is only half the equation. Real growth happens when you’re actively building relationships through thoughtful comments, responding to messages, and connecting with your ideal clients.
The Honest Truth: This Matters More Than You Think
If there’s one thing I love most, it’s coaching clients on social media. Watching them learn and grow (and their social and businesses grow as a result) is so rewarding.
It always starts with strategy. Once we have that, the technical details come together over time. Strategy first, posting second.
Ready to stop posting randomly and start being strategic with your social media content? Let’s talk it through! I’ll walk you through what social media coaching looks like and give you some real examples of clients who have gone from post-driven to strategy-driven systems, including their real results.