With social media being relatively new to the marketing world, we understand the apprehension and resistance from small businesses to try out this medium. Many small businesses continue to believe that social media isn’t worth investing into compared with traditional marketing outlets. However, social media marketing is only a waste of your time and money if you handle it improperly.
With that being said, we will address some of the most common concerns we hear and let you know exactly why (and how) social media marketing is worth your time and money.
“I can learn how to do my own social media by myself. It can’t be THAT hard to figure out!”
If you are not operating your own marketing firm, your time is better spent focusing on your line of business rather than trying to learn social media (granted, it’d be good for you to learn the basics of social media so then you can discuss your specific needs with a social media consultant and understand the work they will be doing with your accounts). As an entrepreneur, your most precious resource is your time: taking time away from your business development to study social media will be detrimental to your bottom line in the long run.
“What’s the point in social media? Traditional marketing still works.”
While traditional marketing (brochures, postcards, billboards, and magazine advertisements, to name a few) may still work for certain industries, the power of social media marketing is in the ability to measure the results of every post you publish. Having this information at your fingertips means that you can make better decisions about how to market your business online.
If you look at a crowd of people these days, most everyone is looking at their smartphone. Very rarely do people look up to check out the latest billboard, and sales postcards/mailers are generally thrown in the trash. Don’t literally throw your money away by focusing solely on traditional advertising!
Your business deserves to have a well-known presence in your community and beyond. Social media marketing will help your business achieve that mission more effectively, helping you gain more sales and grow your business.
“I can hire the kid down the street to do my social media for cheaper.”
Social media may seem as simple as posting updates on a regular basis, but if you don’t know what type of content to post, you might end up negatively affecting your business. If the kid down the street does not have the mind of a marketer, you may end up paying for a lot more than you expected. The kid down the street may know the basics of Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, but they most likely don’t know how to use that knowledge to help you grow your business. Even if you are only paying the kid a small wage, all money spent without a return on your investment will be a waste.
When executed upon properly through professionals who know what they are doing, social media is a smart investment for your growing business. To learn what you need from a social media manager, how to find the right person (or agency) that is right for you and your business, and what you can do on your own before outsourcing, read our guest interview over at Julie Harris Design (complete with valuable freebies to download!).
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