Are All Of Your Customers Using Social Media? Probably Not…But
So you are running a business and you’ve heard all about social media and how your business can benefit but for one reason or another you just can’t stomach the thought of your stuff being promoted or marketed via something called a Tweet.
After all, with your television and radio advertising you know you actually get something for your money. Umm…yeah right!
I bet you didn’t know that there are a few YouTube pros who regularly get more viewers for a 5 minute video than watch most television shows. It’s true! Yet, you’re still not ready to commit. I also bet that you don’t know that some of the best marketing campaigns lately have been the result of a new media focus.
Research has found that the ROI on social media marketing is MUCH higher than with traditional marketing. Some companies are abandoning traditional marketing altogether in favor of social media.
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That might be crazy to even think about but when you look at the numbers, it might not be all that ludicrous for some companies.
Here’s the fundamental shift. Businesses and brands are now starting to embrace social media because of the touches. By starting the conversation and engaging with prospects you get to know your clientele. They’ll share information with you they would never ordinarily told a business owner.
For instance one of my clients is in the medical field. Here is a recent comment on their Facebook page:
I have a question you might be able to answer…My daughter’s psychiatrist asked me if I smoked while pregnant…I replied yes in the beginning because it was hard to quit…he then proceeded to tell me that that is the reason she has the disease! He said that there is now a link between mom’s smoking and kids getting adhd! is this true that you know of? I was blown away that it is my fault!
Do you see the type of interaction that is possible. Here is a young Mom, openly telling my client her family’s medical history.
I’m not sure, but I doubt she ever read a newspaper ad, or saw any commercial and called up the sales department and started dishing out personal information. I could be wrong…but I doubt it.
And fyi…the woman who made this comment has been a commenter and visitor to the page for some time now and her engagement grew simply because we responded to a question she had.
Now we know her, and she knows us and wait for it…here it comes…here’s the payoff… she trusts us! Let me know if Val-Pak, direct mail, or your cable spots can do that for you.
Oh, and by the way, she’s got friends! (re: referrals) I understand business owners who don’t engage in social media. No, I’m actually lying. I have no idea why you would not want to grow a community of consumers who know you, engage with you and help become brand ambassadors for you. Maybe you think it’s not fair. Maybe you think it’s an unfair advantage.
There has to be some illegitimate reason that you have as to why you’re not utilizing social media marketing.
Maybe you’ve been living under a rock and still think that social media is for kids. “@###$&@!!!” (that’s my buzzer sound). The fastest growing demographic on social networking sites is 55-65 year-old women.
Your target market, whatever it is, is more than likely represented on social media in some form. It doesn’t matter if you’re a gold broker or cereal company. Your target demo is waiting for you and if you design the right message they will give you the permission to speak to them directly.
Remember. Just as in your offline life. Trust is not given freely and without regard. It is an earned attribute. Don’t ask for much from your prospects early but give of yourself and your business freely.
My clients always ask me how to begin the process and the easiest thing that I tell them is to simply give your brand or business a persona, even yours, and act accordingly.
Now obviously if you’re a bit of a tool, then you may not be the right person to be managing the persona. But assuming your not an abrasive ass, just treat people like you want to be treated.
Imagine that you’re walking into a dinner party…no, think of it more as a neighborhood block party. You wouldn’t walk up and down the street handing out business cards would you? Realtors…don’t answer that!
Of course you wouldn’t. You’d just grab a drink and maybe a hot dog or three and just hang out shooting the breeze. You’re not expecting to “get” anything from anybody. Then a couple of days later you’re at Home Depot and you see Dan from the block party and he’s in his uniform.
Dan’s a general contractor. He sees you looking kind of odd in your suit and you tell him you have a roof problem. So later on Dan stops by and takes a look at your roof for you.
Cha Ching…Dan makes a sale. Because he knew you and trusted you. Later on, Dan has to get some contracts done and he remembers that you are a lawyer and bam…he knocks on the door and you guys start chatting and sooner than later you have a new client.
All because you guys hooked up and met each other at a neighborhood block party. Now all you have to do is plan your own block party. That’s what social media is all about.
It’s not about a commercial or an ad. People don’t trust messages. They trust people!
You may not be ready to try social media right now. That’s a decision that you have to make. But where you’re wrong in that mindset is in thinking that you’re not already involved in social media. You see I often show my prospective clients that there already is a conversation taking place about their business somewhere online. They’re just not involved in it.
So I show them and ask them. Would you rather be responding and participating in conversations about your business or would you rather let others manage the conversation.
Either way it’s occurring. There’s no toe-dipping” in social media. There’s no “try it” in social media. It’s already happening. Somebody already turned on the lights. The party is on. With …or without you.
Remember the title of this article? It reads, “Are All Of Your Customers Using Social Media? Probably Not…But”
Well the answer is pretty simple. No. Not every one of your customers is using social media. But with 700 Million people on Facebook, with 50,400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every single day, and with their being nearly 200 million Twitter users, I’m pretty sure most of them are.
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