The problem is you want more customers, better returns, more profit. Right? Facebook ads! Pinterest! Quality Instagram content! The digital strategists will tell you it’s king. And you want to have a presence, that’s natural. Everybody’s using it. If you’re a voyeur , consistent commenter, or a mindless scroller you’re there, I’m there, most of the world is there. But I think it’s getting too much attention as a marketing tool, and we’re forgetting the broader picture.
As a business owner, you’re likely working out how many times to post on Instagram, wrestling with how to master the art of the Facebook algorithm, spending too much time tweaking your Linked In, or getting caught in webinars on how to maximise Pinterest… It’s the forefront of your mind when thinking about marketing, and rightly so. There are over 2 billion users on Facebook and we’re up to an average of 136 minutes of social media time per day. People are definitely there.
The trouble is, they are changing this stuff all. the. time. Whether you’re a big company or a small business, you really need to be delivering the same amount of content to get anywhere, and companies have full time employees to do so, small business does not.
I see many business owners stressing, trying to navigate and master it in order to reach more people. Just when you think you’ve got it nailed, something will change, and unless you are dishing out a heap on sponsoring and advertising posts, or creating extremely compelling content for a couple of posts a day, I feel like for some, it’s a losing battle.
Social media is a beast, and I don’t think we can tame it, nor should we rely on it.
You do not own your follower numbers or account, and I’ve also seen businesses have these taken from them literally overnight.
Now, I’m not all doom and gloom about it, but I’d like to see some perspective when considering our marketing options. We do know that social media platforms can produces some really good results for businesses. We have all participated in a successful social media campaign, clicked through and bout the shampoo…and there are some awesome resources and businesses offering services to help you with your content and scheduling. However, the platforms will tell you it’s the ONLY way to reach people. Facebook loves Facebook. I’m here to tell you that it’s not. I see social media as a potential time sucker for business owners and large organisations alike, it’s taking too large a proportion of your marketing time.
Before you even get to the point of spending all that time and energy, you need to work out if it’s a priority for meeting your business goals! The way to do that, is to make sure you have a strategy that looks at the bigger picture of your marketing and communication, and the best way to connect to your customers, that brings in results.
If your goal is likes on Instagram, cool. But is that going to pay your bills? If you sell 7 products a day through your Instagram channel, then yes! It’s important. Are you developing productive and collaborative relationships with other businesses? Then yes! It’s probably a good part of your mix, but maybe not high on the to-do list. If you’re doing it, but you don’t really know why, it’s probably not a good use of time.
Instead of jumping straight to "let’s get a photographer to create some content” invest some time and money into understanding the most important part of the bigger picture.
WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?
They might have a Facebook account, but barely login.
They might be too busy, or actually dislike the platform.
They might LOVE Facebook, and engage unabashedly with content.
What do you know about your customers?
I’m in the midst of finding this out for Comms Nerd. I have ideas about who I’d like to share my knowledge and expertise with, but I need to know exactly what they need from me, and what will influence their decision to exchange their money with something I offer. Out of research and understanding of who I’m looking to connect with, I develop the strategy, and out of THAT, comes the channels. My customers might spend most of their social media time on Linked In, but also avid attenders of networking events, and be highly responsive to direct mail. They might trust a particular news website over and above others, so it’d be worth the effort to try and get some PR with that outlet. This is an ongoing investigation for your business.
I’m not saying abandon social media, but be aware that the platforms change, people’s behaviour with the platform changes, and it might not be the best use of your time and resources, especially if you’re not seeing a return.
I did this with my Facebook page as an experiment. I spent a bunch of money on some ads, with the aim of finding new followers and to build email community. It wasn’t paying off, so I’ve stopped that, and am looking at other ways to find my people. Sometimes it’s just good to stop and take stock of what you’re doing to communicate with people, and adjust your strategy.
Feel free to get in touch with questions on any of these high quality ramblings. I also have the free 1 page marketing plan you can use to plan your next customer activity.
Thanks for reading!
Jade