We are so quick to talk about how to market on social media: When to post, what to say, how to engage, what platforms to use. Experts weigh in on all angles of social media specifics, and yet we seem to ignore the question that comes before these other questions. Should you market your business on social media? Let’s unpack this question today.
As I write this, I know my answer is going to have some critics.
I’m going to blaspheme. I promise to do it in the most practical way I can.
Are you ready?
I don’t believe that social media is mandatory.
Yes, the experts are telling you all the things you “have” to do. You need to use video. You have to be on Instagram. Or Facebook. Or LinkedIn. You’d better get in on the newest, latest platform before it becomes saturated. You should be doing stories. You must have a presence on every platform.
These experts are looking at trends and reach. They are looking at what they see as social media best practices. But they are not looking at YOUR business.
I don’t disagree that social media can be a great place to market your business. It’s a forum where you can showcase your brand through your content. Where you can build your community through proactive, strategic networking. Where you can show your audience the strength of your reputation by wowing them with your expert opinion, your audience size, or the visible, engaged conversations you have brought to your profile and posts. It is a place where you can advertise to reach people with specifications about as exact as you’ll find anywhere.
Taking this a step further, social media done well allows you to generate new leads for your business. New leads are a good thing. They can become sales.
In my case, I often find that social media is not where the lead comes from, but they visited me on social media while researching me further to validate their choice to work with me. When people research, they may look for a variety of sources.
That said, just because social media can be a great place to market your business doesn’t mean it is the right place for your business to be.
Just because social media can be a great place to market your business doesn’t mean it is the right place for your business to be. #socialmedia #marketing #business #smallbusiness #smallbiz #biztips Share on XSocial media marketing is marketing for the long haul. It requires time. It requires consistency. And there is no end date to the time and consistency required when you launch your profile on any given platform.
Social media marketing is marketing for the long haul. #socialmedia #marketing #biztips #business #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb #entrepreneur Share on XThe point of social media is creating conversations around your business to generate leads and bring them into your pipeline. If you aren’t prepared to take the time to have conversations and be social, social media marketing may not be the best option for you. Want to read more on this? Check out this blog about the importance of engagement on social media.
Sure, you can post once every couple of weeks if that is all the time you have to give it. If you do, I ask you if your content wouldn’t be better suited to a blog published directly to your website (giving you a chance to boost your website’s searchability) and a newsletter so you can start engaging with your email list.
If you aren’t prepared to take the time to have conversations and be social, social media marketing may not be the best option for you. #socialmedia #marketing #business #biztips #smallbusiness #smallbiz #smb Share on XSure, you can do low-budget advertising. If you do, please know that typically it is larger budget advertising that sees results on social media. Split testing to find your best audience, headlines, graphics, and copy doesn’t happen overnight. It also doesn’t happen for $10.
Sure, you can have a presence on every platform that has ever been created because you are told “it is another channel for getting leads.” If you do, and you are spreading your time so thin that you just aren’t able to spend time building an audience or having a meaningful conversation on any of them, I ask you if this is making your business look professional or just unpopular?
For everyone who tells me that the number one way to market your business is anything to do with social media, I will show you other communities of people who say that speaking is the best way to get new leads. Or networking. Or lead generation platforms. Or government contracting / directories. Or building relationships with corporate gatekeepers. For each of these, I can think of real-life businesses that built the majority of their client base from that way of marketing.
Social media can be a great place to market your business if that is 1) where your target market is and 2) suited to your business and the resources you have for marketing. All the advantages of social media marketing I listed above are advantages indeed.
However, social media is freely available to everyone, which means that it is saturated with countless other businesses trying to get in front of their audiences, too. If you plan to break through and get noticed, it takes strategy, consistency, and proactively getting your voice out there. OVER TIME. Hoping to go viral overnight isn’t a marketing plan.
When it comes to deciding where to market your business, don’t be pressured to do what everyone “should” do. Think carefully about where your target markets are and where they would be most likely to pay attention to your message. Think about the way you can showcase your brand that shines the best light on it. Think about what you will realistically be able to do consistently.
If that is social media for you, great! Plan accordingly and think about how to use whatever platforms you pick to best effect.
If not, that’s okay. Look for other ways in your marketing plan to generate leads, showcase your brand voice, and build community.