Social Media Is Often Time-Consuming and Useless!
Posted on November 21, 2010 by Nathan R Mitchell, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Nathan R Mitchell, Small-Business Consultant, Author, and Speaker, addresses Social Media Marketing and how it should complement a small-business
Yeah I know, Social Media Marketing is all the rage nowadays! So, why in the world would I title this article “Social Media Is Often Time-Consuming and Useless?” Well, because it often is! I will be the first to admit that the internet is a wonderful place, and to be honest with you, I love it. In fact, the Internet is my television. While most people are watching the season finale of “Lost,” I find myself browsing the Internet. And now the Internet is being used more than ever before as a marketing portal via Social Media Websites. Unfortunately, it is often ineffective, and can be very time consuming. Let’s face it, it is so easy to spend a significant portion of your day online, and really never accomplish anything overly productive. And now businesses are doing it too?!
In a recent study by Nielsen Online, they found that 23% of Americans spend the majority of their time browsing Social Media sites. Wait, did I read that right? Yes! Nearly one out of every four internet users spend the majority of their time browsing Social Media sites! That’s amazing. No wonder Social Media Marketing is en vogue! Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the potential power of Social Media Marketing. In fact, I think it’s a great opportunity for small-businesses to get their services in front of the masses, but a few things need must be considered.
1. Social Media Marketing cannot become an end in itself, and replace other networking activities! Although it is true that technology has made it much easier to build a network than ever before, small-business owners must ask themselves, “Are the relationships I’m building through Social Media sites quality connections?” If they are, good for you, because building a good network is about the quality of relationships built, not the quantity of them.
2. Is Social Media Marketing getting in the way of your other marketing efforts? Although a lot of marketing activities are not as effective as they once were, do not put all of your time in just Social Media and Internet Marketing. Direct mail campaigns and radio advertising are not nearly as effective as they once were, but don’t let your Social Media efforts get in the way of a great email marketing campaign, or the old fashioned pick up the phone and start making cold calls routine. If your business is in any way associated with Direct Sales, it should be a mandatory practice in your overall Marketing Strategy.
3. Don’t analyze the success of your Social Media Marketing efforts simply by the number of “likes” you have on Facebook, or the number of “followers” you have on Twitter! This is especially important when comparing yourself to other users. There are a lot of users on Facebook and Twitter that simply collect contacts and friends for the sole purpose of collecting contacts and friends. Utilizing this approach in your small-business is often time-consuming and useless!
In conclusion, Social Media Marketing has its purpose and place in your overall marketing strategy, but don’t place so much of an emphasis on it that it becomes overwhelming and time-consuming to maintain. It is easier than ever before to link your Social Media accounts together. When possible use this approach. For example, when you post something important and something that adds value to your followers on Facebook, make sure this automatically posts on as many other Social Media sites as possible. This will significantly reduce the amount of time you spend maintaining your Social Media profiles.
Keep Winning!
