Stop Using Social Media For Your Business
I’ve been helping businesses use social media since 2011 and let me be one marketer that says loud and clear: you don't need to be on social media for your business to succeed.
The irony that I am writing this on social media is not lost on me...
I know, it seems strange to be a marketing guy that is speaking against social media. But I’ve been inspired by my friend Chris Fox as he’s reminded his clients of this truth. While social media can be a great tool for many businesses to grow, here are three signs that you may be focusing on it a bit too much.
Very little experience with social media - I am a big advocate for being a lifetime learner. But it is also important to understand limitations. It would be great for you to learn Chinese, for instance. But I don’t recommend you get dropped off in downtown Beijing without a high level of proficiency. Social media is similar. It’s good for you to learn about the opportunities, but your business can still be very successful without it. While social media can be straightforward to learn, it takes time to master.
Doesn’t obviously make sense for your business - I’ve seen a lot of TIRED social media posts from businesses that don’t really lend themselves to social media. From dentists and doctors to plumbers and lawyers. Don’t mishear me: those businesses CAN benefit from leveraging social media, but they require even more attention to do well. I prefer my dentist is better at fillings than facebook. If your industry doesn’t have an obvious social connection, that might be a sign that you shouldn’t be spending all your resources on it.
You are too busy to do it well - Sometimes clients come to me and they are spread really thin - trying to post every day on instagram, tweeting from the train and learning the latest TikTok dance. Needless to say, they are super busy and not super productive. What a life-draining exercise! If you are too busy to take time and do it well, that is probably a sign that social isn’t for you right now. It can be something you revisit in the future.
Ok, so hopefully you understand now that you don’t NEED to be on social media for your business to succeed. But there is one element of a marketing strategy that I believe without which every business will suffer.
Email marketing.
Email is still king when it comes to effective digital marketing. In fact, the ROI for email marketing is several orders of magnitude more than social media. An effective email automation enables you to do a number of things at once:
Nurture your customer relationship and establish yourself as a trustworthy knowledge leader.
Work hard once on the messaging and then leave it for a while.
Follow up with customers while you sleep or are with the family.
Build an effective sales funnel for new prospects.
If you don’t currently have an engaging email marketing strategy, book a call with KNOWN Creative to learn more about the opportunities you could be enjoying.
