Finding Answers

Business owners, entrepreneurs, individual contractors… lend me your ears.  I come not to bury traditional advertisement, not to honor it.  It was my friend, honorable to how much I paid it, and just to me by providing clients.

If Shakespeare were alive would he write thus about traditional advertisement when compared to social media?  Probably not but it allows me to have some creative fun.

All kidding aside you should lend me a few seconds to understand why you should have your business engaging in social media: it is where your customers are already and are going to if they are not there.  For any business, like yours, to find leads and convert those leads into sales it all comes down to location, location, and location.

Don’t fret, yet.  If your business is not engaging in this new medium you still have time.

Why Now?

There are an infinite amount of posts online that can answer that question probably better than me.  They can give you some insight into why your business should be embracing social media.  Here a few:

• Should You Business Use Social Media Marketing?
• Social Media For Business – Who Is Doing It Well
• 20 Reasons Why Your Small Business Should Use Social Media

I am going to ask you why not now?  Is it a fear of time-sink?  Are you afraid of adopting something that leaves the impression that it changes quickly on a whim?  What is it that holds you back?

Customers Need To Be Part Of The Equation

You need to answer those questions honestly to yourself.  I even propose that you write those answers down – step away from them – and then comeback and read them aloud.  You will find the language that you have chosen to answer the above questions will give you clues to the real reason why you have not adopted social media.  Most of all it is out of fear of changing what already is perceived to be working.

Yes, I said perceived.  When was the last time you calculated your margin of return on the advertising dollars you have spent?  Most likely the margin has shrunk over time.  So while it is working, it is not working as well as it used to.  With dollars and budgets tight in any economy, you need to maximize your margin of return as much as possible.

Right there you have a major “WHY”.

Still not convinced?

I can see why.  You probably run a B2B business that has a special niche and most of your clients are not in the twenties or below.

Well I’ve got some bad news for your perception – one of the fastest growing demographics (and happens to be the largest) in social media is 26 and older.[1]^{, [2], [3]} These demographic statistics includes decision makers, influencers, and buyers of your products/services.  Why would you want to ignore them?

More businesses are going on social media platforms to promote their expertise, their products/services, listen to their customers, and monitor their competition.  The social activity that these businesses create online feeds into increased links to their websites, increased exposure to key clients, and increased margins of return for their investment.  They are gaining access, information, and clients.

What To Do

Determine which platform best suites your business model.  Is it Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube, Blogging, etc?  You need to investigate which ones you are going to invest your time for your marketing efforts.  Hint:  It most likely will be two or three but not all of them.

Once you have discovered which platform meets your needs, then you need to create a social media plan.  In this plan you want to establish:

• Policies and procedures on how your business will use social media.
• Measurement of specific metrics that have meaning for your business; typically this will be leads and sales.
• One voice that represents your business across the platforms you have chosen.  Consistency is key.
• Clear timeframes for engagement and disengagement.
• Long-term vision with patience.  It will take time to build up your network if you are not a household name.

As with any plan you will monitor and adjust as needed to ensure that you have a successful campaign.

Business Is A Social Enterprise

One thing to keep in mind is that authenticity rules in social media.  This means that you have to be social and engage.  It sounds odd if you are not used to this medium but it is important to making your use of social media a success.  Failure to do so will result in wasted time, energy, and money.  (Yes, while it does not cost you to sign up for accounts on these platforms, someone is manning them and you are paying that someone.)  Engagement is a roundabout with multiple lanes accessing it.  That means traffic will be circling, entering, and exiting from a number of directions.  This is atypical of traditional advertisement and can leave you with a feeling that everything is out of control.  Breathe deep.  It is okay.  You are being social!

Fortune is merry, 
and in this mood will give us anything. – Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Your business and you will find some incredibly wonderful new fans, clients, and opportunities.  All of which you most likely would have spent a lot of capital to obtain or miss completely by using traditional methods.  If you still have questions as to why you should be using social media for your business, contact me; I’d love to demonstrate the benefits to you!

What keeps your business from engaging in social media?  What information do you need to help you make up your mind?

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed, like social media, to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small.  The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.

[2] Dispelling The Youth Myth – Web Business

[3] 35 Crucial SEO, Twitter & Social Media Statistics For Business People – SEOptimise