Social Media – What’s Holding You Back?

In my effort to simplify social media within franchising, I have explored how other small businesses have embraced social media, and if they haven’t, what is holding them back. The comments pertaining to holding back are quite interesting. I’ve listed some below in order that our readers may see how others are addressing their concerns about using social media within the business world. Some individuals who work with clients expressing similar concerns about social media have also provided advice that I believe our readers may find useful. Upon reviewing these answers, comments and suggestions, please let me know some of your own concerns, as well as any comments or questions you may have.

Hesitant about Twitter

“Paul.. while I use Social Media sites for professional reasons such as Linkendin, and Blogger, I am hesitant about Twitter. I have been doing a lot of personal research on it, and getting opinions, and I’m on the fence.. I could go either way. My main fears with Twitter are being overwhelmed with spam, and followed by people who have nothing to say.”

I’m not a very good writer…

“Great question. When I listen to my clients and their concerns about using social media, particularly blogging & Twitter, one of the things I frequently hear is this: “I don’t know what to write; I’m not a very good writer; what if no one likes what I have to say?” etc. etc. I simply encourage them to jump in and find their voice as they go along, get more confident and build their brand. I totally get their concerns, though, as I think back to the first blog post I ever wrote, circa first quarter 2006 — I think I must have spent four or five hours (or more) trying to get it “just right.” Now I don’t fret, quite so much! Also, one of the other things I say to encourage clients to blog or use Twitter, is to let them know they have so much talent / knowledge to share and it is simply another way of giving back what they’ve been given.”

Misconceptions about Social Media

“Cost. A misconception about social media is that is a free or low cost alternative. But typing and building relationships takes time – people time – and time costs money. If you have no marketing budget, then you have no budget to pay someone (or yourself) to do the social media legwork. Social media, like all marketing efforts, shouldn’t been selected because it’s the cheap choice, but because it is the right strategic choice. With limited data to support real ROI impact of social media, particularly for B2B products and services, it makes it very difficult for a small business to take it seriously (considering small business’s limited budgets) over traditional direct sales and marketing activities.”

Market Your Way out of the Recession

“Some good answers here. Nothing is free these days, but when money is tight, businesses need to resist the easy way and stop marketing. We all know the adage about the need to market one’s way out of a recession. When the economy is tight, businesses need to think outside the box and look at innovative ways to market their business in the most cost-effective way, and preferably in a way that can be tracked. You don’t need to spend a massive amount of time, but 20 minutes a day looking after a business page on Facebook, adding photos that might attract fans and get your message across, is just another way of increasing your exposure.

I agree that, as a B2B tool, Twitter has not yet proved its worth, but it is another way of driving traffic to your website which, along with blogs, articles and other SEO methods, will all help to improve your organic search engine placement. I use it increasingly to gather information that I can pass on to clients (that enhances my reputation as someone who has an understanding of emerging trends and, very importantly, changes in consumer behavior). As a B2C tool, Twitter is proving to be very successful, and you don’t need to be an expert in copywriting. You just need to be yourself.”

Identifying, Defining & Organizing = Social Media Power

“For myself, spamming and just nonsensical chatter in a day already full of meetings, emails, contracts, books, blogs was overwhelming an already busy schedule. At some point, too much data had converted powerful information into just symbols on a page that I constantly had to decipher through to reach answers and wisdom. After taking time to identify and categorize the various social media sites and ultimately define the purpose each could serve in my personal and professional life, I have come to understand the power at my fingertips to use this as a tool to engage and connect with others.”

Does Social Media really work?

“For most of my clients and businesses that I follow, it seems like it is the lack of budget and resources. Social media is a time-consuming exercise and many executives doubt its profitability. So, really, the biggest hold back is the lack of tracking to prove that social media works.”

Apprehension & Confusion

“The clients that I serve are apprehensive about investing the time, energy and effort into social media. There is a lot of confusion as to how to monetize and capitalize using the social media. I also find that if they are baby boomers they may not be computer/tech savvy which also results in paralysis. There are so many things they are already doing…they just want to know that they can maximize and not waste time which may not bring in results.”

A Good Start… But Questions Remain

“While I use social media to advance our business, I believe that most people who do not use it are either not educated on it or don’t believe they have time to deal with it or don’t believe their clientele use it to purchase. I was on the fence about doing it myself as most of our clients are property managers and claims adjustors. While some of them have Facebook and LinkedIn, they don’t use it as much as other industries would.

I know that my father’s elevator company does not use social media to promote their business (may be shortsighted), but they do not believe that their customer base uses these tools to find business. I also fought with this notion. However, I decided to use these tools, if for nothing else than helping our company with search engine optimization. You can link these sites to your company’s site and this will increase your credibility with Google and the like. Twitter is something that I just started and really need to learn more about. It only really helps you if you get a lot of followers (clients/potential clients). Otherwise, you are really talking to yourself and not making good use of your time.

Blogging is a great way to go as long as you stay on top of it. If you don’t consistently post a blog with good and pertinent content, it does you no good. It is a great tool to get your thoughts and ideas to others as well as increase search engine optimization. I believe that almost all businesses should use social media to advance their business, but most that don’t use them either don’t have the proper education about these tools, time to use them, or don’t believe it will increase business.”

Social Media is not a panacea… It is a tool!

“Just over 3.5 years ago I began implementing “Social Media Marketing” techniques within my own firm. I wanted to ensure that I could make it work for our needs before we jumped in and recommended these strategies for our clients.

There is a plethora of information from many sources that assisted us…too many to mention.

We worked it hard. From our work in Social Media Marketing, we began to acquire clients from around the world. We acquired start-ups and helped place their wares in STAPLES and H-E-B Grocery Company. White Mountain Marketing achieved international recognition, and developed our Social strategies to the point that a substantial portion of our business (90%) is generated from these strategies.

From these successes, we created the position that one can not have ‘a’ strategy for a company. We believe that many strategies within the curtain of “Social Marketing” to penetrate several levels of clientele makes the most sense. Companies need exposure at every level, in order to achieve maximum positioning.

Of course, “Social Media Marketing” is just one component of well-drafted marketing strategies. It is not a panacea. It is a tool – a very strong tool that can help turn companies around, when used properly.

Great questions, Paul. There is a lot to think about when creating and implementing any tactics and strategies in business and marketing plans. Don’t jump on any band wagon…walk around and make certain the wheels are on tight and the horses are strong. Always test the water.”

Please share your thoughts, comments and questions below…

Is it Really Possible to Define Social Media?

In terms of today’s technology, Web 1.0 took a relatively long road to transform to Web 2.0. Remember that term, 2.0? It seems the term is withering away, being used less and less as social media continues to gain momentum as the all-encompassing buzz phrase. But, what is social media? Is it just a term to describe a new way to communicate? Some refer to it as a marketing method. Others maintain that social media refers to the technology behind social networking? Wasn’t networking always social?

One can hardly discuss mobile technology without bringing social media into the equation. Discuss customer service and social media is now mentioned. Find your brand on Yelp and quickly understand how customer service can create perceived opinion. Selling has been around since the beginning of time. But now social selling seems to be a trend. Can you really sell effectively without being social? Sales management has gone social as well. Have you heard about Social CRM? It’s no wonder there are still many people confused about social media and Web 2.0.

Wikipedia defines social media… “Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses web-based technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogues. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein also define social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” Businesses also refer to social media as consumer-generated media (CGM). A common thread running through all definitions of social media is a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-creation of value.”

As we’ve heard stories about the inaccuracy of Wikipedia, can we rely upon their definition? Well, that’s another story for another day. But, within Wikipedia’s definition, Kaplan and Haenlein bring up a good point in defining social media as, “a group of internet-based applications.” Is that really a definition, or just theory or interpretation? Besides, can the definition of social media be accurate without mention of communication? Maybe the best way to define social media is the last line of the Wikipedia definition, “A common thread… a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-creation of value.”

Report: Social Media Experienced Strong Growth in 2010

As reported at The Creative Department, a recent report comparing the growth of social media and email revealed that both experienced healthy increases in 2010.

According to analysis from the blog Royal Pingdom, Twitter added 100 million accounts last year and hosted some 25 billion Tweets. Facebook added 250 million new users and surpassed 600 million users worldwide. About 70 percent of Facebook members reside outside of the United States, according to the report.

Facebook users also shared 30 billion pieces of content each month throughout 2010, uploaded 20 million videos each month and installed 20 million applications, including such popular games as Farmville and Cityville, each day.

As for email, there were 107 trillion messages sent last year, which averages to 294 billion per day. There were 2 billion email users with a total of 3 billion email accounts. In all, email grew by nearly 500 million users in 2010, the report found.

Facebook’s dominance among social media is well documented. According to a report from marketing firm L2, the site’s members account for one in 12 people on the planet. Members spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook, and the site accounts for 25 percent of all U.S. page views.

What Social Media Marketing Trends Will Emerge In 2011?

Day in, and day out, I field 10-20 questions about social media. While exploring and learning about social media many are still coming to grips how to use social media, how to use it effectively, and how to use it for marketing purposes. Seeming to be overwhelmed by the possibilities, often the next questions focus on the future of social media, whether or not it’s a fad, and is it here to stay? All reasonable questions.

In December 2010, Focus Research released the report, 2011 Trends Report: Social Media Marketing, which will certainly help me answer the questions about the future of social media.

The report’s Executive Summary states: Social media’s days as a “fad” and “the next big thing” are long gone. It’s here to stay, and it’s a rapidly changing space — especially in terms of marketing. What social media marketing trends will emerge in the coming year? In this Focus Trends Report, Focus Experts Jay Baer, Michael Brenner, Frank Days, Paul Dunay, Maggie Fox, Stephanie Marx, Tom Pick, Mark Schaefer and Lee Traupel share their 2011 predictions for social media marketing.

According to the report, social media marketing trends for 2011 include:

1. Social efforts will permeate the enterprise.
2. Widespread consolidation will occur on multiple fronts.
3. Stronger focus on global audiences.
4. Social media will become increasingly mobile.
5. Metrics will mature.
6. Social media will become targetable.
7. Facebook advertising will continue to improve — and get more expensive.
8. Listening will improve and become increasingly important.
9. Marketers and brands will think like publishers/broadcasters.
10. ‘Hard’ ROI will remain elusive.

The complete report may be downloaded HERE.

After reading the report, be sure to check out the entire discussion and join the conversation HERE.

Moms Are Super In Social Media

There have been ample examples of how mommy bloggers are a powerful, influential group. Now comes data to back it up.

A study commissioned by Child’s Play Communications from the NPD Group Inc. found that 79 percent of moms with children under 18 are active in social media. One in four of those moms has also purchased a children’s product because of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog.

The numbers go up as moms are more active online. It found that 43 percent of moms are daily users of social media, and have bought something for their children because of a recommendation from these sites.

Breaking it down further, 55 percent said they purchased a product because of a personal review blog while 40 percent said they did so because of a Facebook recommendation.

Read more Social Media info HERE.