Is Social Media Right For Your Business?

A friend of mine is an old-school advertising executive. We had a conversation recently about traditional advertising versus social media. She represents massive accounts – national brands that are household names. The brands for which she is involved aren’t the types of products people typically get excited about, things such as drain cleaners or breakfast cereal. She quoted a survey that claimed that the average Facebook user only likes about 8 brands or businesses, and pointed out that her clients still relied on traditional media over social media. The implication she was making is that if you’re not one one of the 8 most exciting brands to any given person, chances are they won’t like your Facebook page.

In many cases, this is probably true.

Certain types of businesses are a much more natural fit for social media than others. Any business with a social environment will shine in the social media spotlight. On a national level, brands that excite people will do well. Ford, for example, does nicely online, as many of its customers are enthusiastic about its products. Conversely, a large corporation such as General Mills doesn’t offer products exciting enough to prompt many customers to follow them online.

This can be the same on a local level. If you’re a plumber, you can still benefit from social media, but avoid comparing your social media status to the popular Irish pub down the street.

It’s often difficult for business-to-business companies to gain much of a following online. In the cases where such companies still wants to take the social media plunge but have a limited appeal, I usually suggest that they start by connecting to others in their field and broadening the scope a bit. One acquaintance of mine is one of the few toner cartridge recyclers left in our area. When he first put his company on Twitter, at first he was following all businesses in the area in hopes that some establishments might notice him. It wasn’t working. I suggested that he write some more broad articles about printers and copiers, and also about the state of the toner cartridge recycling industry. Once he tweeted those, he easily found others in his field connecting with him, and found that this type of interaction led to more organic followers related to his business.

Some businesses, no matter how much effort they put into it, will not experience the social media success that others types of businesses do. A good starting point is to look at some of your biggest competitors, and study those who have found success. See how often they’re updating and the types of things they’re saying. And most important, snag all of their followers on Twitter! After you’ve done that, start looking at any lists on which they appear, and follow everyone there as well. Finally, look at their history of tweets and follow anyone they have tweeted to or who has tweeted them. You may as well let someone else do some of the work for you, right?

By maintaining realistic expectations and expanding the scope of discussion, most companies can find some success with social media.

Further reading
Social Media for the Small Business