I work a lot with businesses who want to know more about social media and you can assess early whether it will work for them. Social media will fail if
- They see it as a quick fix
- They see it as a pure sales tool
- They don't want to invest SOME time
- They don't have a clear strategy for their business
- They see customers as customers and not people
- They are working because its a job, not a passion
When they want to connect, when they are passionate about what they do, when they have motivation not necessarily bundles of money, when they see it as an extension of their brand personality...then the sky is the limit
I sometimes use the analogy that social media is like trade shows. It can be difficult at times to trace back a direct ROI...but we all know there are shows we just "have" to be at.
I suspect more companies will try out social media this year. Hopefully, they will keep in mind the reasons you've mentioned above as they are developing their strategy.
Posted by: Sharlyn Lauby | Jan 15, 2010 at 10:17 PM
Excellent points! Thank you.
Posted by: Angelika Heimann | Jan 15, 2010 at 11:06 PM
Those are really great points especially the part where people think that this is a quick fix. Doing social media is not going turn your business around.
They might want to take a closer look on how they are doing business first and see how they are taking care of their customers, as social media is an extension of customer service.
Posted by: Erick Osia | Jan 16, 2010 at 12:39 AM
Or indeed the telephone...where is the ROI in that?
But in real terms I think social media is actually easier to measure than most areas of sales and marketing. As long as you have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve then you can measure it....better than say a magazine advert...as you have a much better tracking system?
Posted by: Anna Farmery | Jan 16, 2010 at 01:25 PM
Erick - I agree. It is like anything else in life...the more you put in the more you get out. I actually say to these types of business don't do social media...it will harm rather than help your brand...wait until you are fully committed, rather than doing it because you think that you should...
Posted by: Anna Farmery | Jan 16, 2010 at 01:27 PM
Fantastic blog. Keep on rockin, Radu Prisacaru – UK Internet Marketer & Web Developer
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 07, 2010 at 02:07 PM