There’s an ongoing debate about the value of social media for many small businesses. The small business question about marketing usually boils down to resources.
We think it’s a healthy debate too because maximizing the return on the investment of your time, as a business owner, is critical. We’re a big believer in NOT chasing the latest shiny object in social technology even when we report on new social media ideas ourselves.
A recent post and comment thread on Small Biz Technology provided a good dialogue on this subject and it was interesting to review Ramon Ray’s 6 reasons why a small business – in this case a Dry Cleaner – should ignore social media.
The overall message was that Tweets and Facebook posts from a Dry Cleaner are not going to mean a thing to your customers. Rather email and text messaging would be the better communication vehicle to engage and build loyalty and business.
As a social media agency we agree that small businesses should be selective on which social sites they use but, they should also claim their presence on all major sites regardless if they plan to use them immediately or not.
Nevertheless, we disagree with the general premise of a Dry Cleaner (or any business) completely ignoring social media. Ray’s post stresses that a Dry Cleaner should focus on building customer relationships and guess what – Social Media is an exceptional way to do just that.
Consider a Dry Cleaner’s Facebook page that follows its customers and engages in amplifying their posts where it makes sense. Or what about liking all the local community pages and again being active in posting on those pages in a relevant and contextual manner. NOT with sales pitches but, simply being a part of the conversation. It’s building your presence and brand awareness in your local community and that can lead to direct new business as well as customer loyalty.
Think of it like being a virtual billboard at the local Little League field or high school gym but with a real time and relevant personal touch.
Another argument from Ericka Kerekes from Deluxe Small Business Services speaks to the fact that social media is the place to cultivate customers of the future – a younger generation that is on social in a big way – even if your current customers are less active. Makes total sense.
There are many other reasons why Social makes sense but perhaps the most important is the fact that when people are looking for your services they turn to the Internet. Your social presence will be an important part of their consideration set and if you’re not there – you’re not considered.
So yes – Go Social. Today.
