Everybody’s on social media these days…well, everybody but small business owners. And who can blame them? SBOs are the heart of our economy. They work long hours pursuing their passion of creating a quality product or service. Between the demands of running a small business, family time and much-needed time for self-improvement, who’s got time to spend on Facebook and Twitter?
Unfortunately, that’s how too many small business owners think about social media. In doing so, they ignore a huge audience of potential customers who can take a small business from good to great.
Let’s examine some of the preconceived ideas small business owners have about social media and see just how grounded they are in reality.
1. Social media takes up too much time. While it’s true there are some aspects of social media can be time consuming, the actual time spent there will vary, depending on a variety of factors. SBOs can expect to invest some time upfront, setting up accounts and developing branding elements, but once a schedule is established, much of the necessary engagement in social media doesn’t take that much time. Another variable would be the SBOs relative technical expertise. For a digital newbie, learning the ins and outs of all the different platforms and how they work can take a little time. For someone who’s more digitally savvy, this can be second nature. The key is stay focused on using social media to promote the business, not get caught up in all the personal distractions that most certainly are there.
Verdict: Mostly False
2. Social media doesn’t sell. Let’s skip ahead to the verdict here: absolutely true. So shouldn’t that be a showstopper for small business owners? Who wants to invest time in something that doesn’t bring in revenue? Social media may not be the place where the conversions take place, but it most certainly is a way to get the customer to the counter. Social media posts don’t directly sell in the same way the giant inflatable guys with long, floppy arms don’t sell cars. And yet, every weekend you can drive past countless car dealerships who have those goofy-looking characters positioned in their parking lots. Why do they do it? Because it gets people to pay attention to their business. Those inflatables help get people on the lot where the sales do happen. You can’t make a new customer in Twitter’s 140 characters, no matter how good your product or service might be. But you can get them to your website where you can show them the depth and breadth of your quality and service. That’s where the sale is going to happen.
3. I can’t tell if I’m getting my money’s worth out of social media. First of all, much of what you can do marketing-wise on social media won’t cost you a dime, so any sales you drive from your organic engagement is money in the bank. Second, social media provides a wealth of analytics that simply aren’t available in more traditional advertising. A Yellow Pages sales rep can tell you how many potential eyeballs will see your ad, but he can’t tell you how many actually read it. Facebook can. What’s more, Facebook can tell you how many clicked on it to actually go to your website. From there, Google can pick up the user activity and tell you how many people made it to the point of sale from your Facebook ad…and if they didn’t, where in your digital funnel did they make their exit? Perhaps nothing is more valuable to the small business owner than the depth of feedback available through social media. Verdict: Absolutely False
4. I’m old school. I prefer to engage my customers face to face. None of this virtual crap for me. Nothing about social media replaces any traditional small business value. Even if your sales are ab100 per cent online, there’s still no virtual substitute for quality products and attentive customer service. And that’s on you, not Twitter. The quality of your interactions with your customers will always create a loyal customer base and the most valuable type of advertising ever created: the customer’s seal of approval. What social media enables the SBO to do is expand all that exponentially. Social media offers a space to reach out to new customers and for your current customers to sing your praises. You can not only gain new users of your product or service, but you can turn them into instant brand ambassadors via social media. That’s the perfect meeting of old school and new school. Verdict: False
If you’ve read this far and you’re still not sure about how to dive into social media, or maybe you’re skeptical you have the time to invest, that’s where Knuckleball Digital can help. We’ll be happy to provide you with a social media audit and discuss a success strategy with you at absolutely no charge.
All you have to do is contact Knuckleball Digital and we’ll set up a time to go over all this with you. If you decide you have the digital chops and time to go it alone, we’ll wish you all the best and follow your accounts on social media so we can help you grow. Or you could decide one or more of Knuckleball Digital’s services is something you need. We’ll provide you with quality and timely service to help you expand your digital footprint.
Don’t let false assumptions and bad attitudes about social media keep your business from thriving in this digital age. Let Knuckleball Digital help you reach your customers, the ones who already love you and the ones who will.