Social media might seem easy — you post some articles and legal tips online and move on with your day, right? Well, it’s not quite that simple — a strong social media marketing campaign requires much more thought about the kinds of content you’re posting, who you’re trying to reach and how you’re trying to engage your audience. Too many law firms (and businesses in general) simply do not take the correct approach to their social campaigns, and end up having a hard time attracting followers or getting the followers they do have to interact with their brand.

Here are just a few of the most common reasons brands fail to engage their followers on social platforms:

• You don’t know your audience: If you’re not talking to the right people, then you’re going to have a hard time engaging your audience. You need to have an understanding of who is most likely to use your services and the kinds of content that will interest those people.

  Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer analytics tools that can help identify your audience’s demographics. By utilizing these insights, you can pinpoint age groups, locations, and interests most engaged with your content.

  This information is extremely helpful in shaping posts that resonate more deeply with your followers, ultimately boosting engagement.

• You’re not posting enough: If you only post once a week, for example, you’re going to have a hard time getting attention. While you don’t necessarily need to post something every day, you should try to make it a priority at least three or four times a week, otherwise people will forget about your pages and you’ll be hurt in the algorithms.

• You’re posting too much: There’s also such a thing as posting too much. You should focus on quality over quantity—there’s no need to post multiple times per day. Keeping a good balance with post quantity ensures people will have the time to see and take in what you’re posting and then engage with that content.

  Studies suggest that the optimal posting frequency can vary by platform and industry. For instance, businesses might find success posting several times a week on Instagram but less frequently on platforms like LinkedIn.

  Analyzing industry benchmarks and experimenting with frequency can help identify what works best for your specific audience.

• You’re not working hard enough at building your following: Don’t expect to get a lot of engagement right off the bat. Just because you start posting on social media doesn’t mean you’re immediately going to start getting shares, follows, comments or likes. It can take a long time to build up a steady following online—it’s a very gradual process. Don’t give up just because you’re not getting the results you want right away.

  Building a following involves more than just posting content—engage directly with your followers by liking and commenting on their posts. Using relevant hashtags can increase your visibility and attract new followers.

  Collaborating with influencers who share a similar target audience can also lead to increased visibility and organic growth.

• You post at the wrong times: Try to post when you know the people following you are going to be online. Publishing posts in the middle of the night or at odd times on weekends is less likely to create engagement than publishing around midday, or at times of the day when people are likely to be taking breaks from work.

• You’re talking at people rather than to/with them: If you’re always advertising or pitching in hopes of getting something out of your audience, they’re going to tune you out quickly. Think of social media as a spot to have conversations and build relationships rather than to sell your firm and its services.

Post originally appeared on Day Law Library, read the full post here.