Social media marketing - professional tool or mug's game? Discuss. OK, let us give you our reasons for this blog first...
I recently read this blog post, "Why Social Media Marketing Does Not Work for Small Businesses", naturally as an inbound marketing manager for a company who proactively encourages social media marketing, I was curious...
The fascinating thing is I thought some of the points were worth agreeing with.
Social media marketing shouldn't cost $3,000 (or the UK equivalent) a month. Neither should you take up all of your profits employing someone to implement social media / devise a strategy.
It was at this point that I decided to create the Thrive counter-argument. So here it is...
Why Social Media Marketing Does Work for Small Businesses
#1 Sound advice
A lot of companies want you to get social media because they know that you know little about it. Social media is a lot like SEO was in the early 2000s - it's a new tool, somewhat confusing to understand and promises "magical things" for your company.
- Don't listen to anyone who isn't willing to explain the pros and cons of each platform and why each platform will / won't work for you.
- Avoid any company who cannot advise and suggest technology / platforms you aren't already aware of. These businesses should be on the pulse of all things social media.
- Never pay £XXXX for social media marketing and continue to pay £XXXX without overseeing the running / statistics for your money. Every marketing company can and should provide such stats when requested.
#2 Companies who understand you
Any marketing company can promise "great things" from your social media campaigning and it's relatively easy for even small marketing companies to generate 100s of Twitter followers overnight, however there's a high chance they will be "egg" accounts or spambots, not real potential customers. Either that or people who just aren't potentially interested in you / your company / products / services and probably, not even based in your country.
- A reputable company will sit with you to discover who your customers are and what content you want to direct towards them
- Always make it clear what your company persona / voice is and how you want to be portrayed
- Ensure that your company is handling your accounts in a professional manner, not getting "cheap likes / follows" just to continue receiving your money
#3 Social messaging shouldn't be sales driven
The blog post which inspired this response said, "If you're a roofing company, no one is going to think it is 'cool' to 'like' you", which is a fair point - or you'd think so...
- Messaging should be predominantly engaging, relevant - perhaps loosely based on your business, but most of all you're garnering attention.
- A small percentage of your messages will be sales-driven - so if your company is a roofing one, your fans are unlikely to be turned off by 5-10% sales messages.
- Memes, quotes, topical issues, news stories and multimedia are all great at driving engagement and follow / fan numbers up - start with those. Key point - always remain professional and polite!
Reasons why social media marketing may not be working for you right now
As a business owner balancing the books, overseeing the workforce and creating business, you're already overflowing with responsibilities and obligations that far outweigh the initial sense of importance that marketing has.
Here are some reasons we think you may not be getting the most out of social media marketing now (including the points given above!)...
#1 Your strategy has gone a bit haywire...
A strategy should be well-thought out, realistic to maintain and it ought to complement your overall business strategy too. If you're doing this social media malarky on your own, maybe that's why you're struggling? Perhaps the strategy itself isn't suitable either...
#2 It's a two-way street, y'know...
Don't just programme tweets for every waking hour of the day and give nothing back to the community. Join Twitter hours and share others' messaging, engaging with them as you go. A few retweets and "how are you" messages can go a long way on the internet...
#3 Everything is a bit mismatched...
If you've got a poorly designed social media profile and a 2004 website, it's not looking great aesthetically for your company. Consider getting a rebrand or a design company to brush up your appearance / graphics, to keep you looking professional (as well as sounding it). Similarly, keep your website content up-to-date, i.e. used to offer services abroad and now don't? Make it clear!
Embrace the social media channels that work for you!
We would never encourage a business to sign up to and devise a strategy for 7 different social media marketing channels - not if they weren't relevant.
What we will do is sit with you to work out a marketing plan / social media strategy or simply go through your potential options. To start that process our social media-related blogs are excellent, as are our social media marketing resources - all of which can be found below!
