As a small business owner, you are well aware of the use of Social Media in today's marketplace not only in brand recognition and lead generation, but also in customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. As I was integrating Social Media Consulting into my current Web Design, Management, and Online Services business, I came across two articles written with distinct points of views on if Social Media was right for your small business.
The first article is written by Hootsuite's Inbound Marketing Specialist
Kristina Cisnero and is titled "
10 Benefits of Social Media for Business Every Skeptic Should Know" and takes a positive approach on why businesses benefit from having a presence in Social Media. Kristina goes into detail listing 10 benefits a business can gain from properly utilizing social media. Her article provides valuable insights using infographics and provides links to other source material.
The second article I came across, "
7 Reasons You Should Not Use Social Media For Business", is written by
Kevin Popovic who is Founder & Communications Director of Ideahaus®, Author, Teacher, Speaker and contributor to Business 2 Community. Kevin took the novel approach to say why there are certain businesses which may not fare well by using social media, which seems counter intuitive for a person who has authored books about about Social Media strategy. That was exactly why I found it refreshing - it didn't overstate or glamorize social media and say that it would work for every situation. He brought up some valid points as to why a social media campaign may not be for your business.
- Ask "Why?" - Ask yourself "What are my goals and expectations of using social media for my business?"
- Get Help - Do research online, ask a business associate who uses social media successfully, or seek a professional consultant to help get started and maintain.
- Stay Strong - Whether you choose to use social media for your business or not, stick to the plan that you have developed for your business.
Most businesses can gain multiple, long-term benefits by integrating social media into their marketing and advertising strategy, so plan out your goals and expectations, build a solid social media strategy, stick to it and watch your business grow.
My name is Michael Weaver, owner of Smart Business Solutions which is a web development and management company located in northeast Pennsylvania, USA. I am currently enrolled in the Social Media Specialization course provided by Coursera and Northwestern University. Feel free to leave me feedback or contact me through any of the following: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
Upcoming Blogs:
Social Media for the Small Business Owner - Part 1 - Getting Started
Social Media for the Small Business Owner - Part 2 - Content - What, How, and When to Post
SBO: 10 Things You Need to Have on Your Website - Essential elements your website needs to have today (coming 4/2016)
SBO: 7 Things You Need to Remove From Your Website Today! - Things which may have been okay in the past, but will drag down your site today (coming 5/2016)
