Social media – does your business really need it?

It seems that every second article online is about how small businesses can benefit from a social media presence. But what if we told you this wasn’t necessarily the case?

Admittedly, when done well, there are many benefits to a professionally curated online presence, giving your brand a chance to become more visible.

However, the issue is that for the amount of time spent trying to achieve these results, the return on investment might not be worth it.

Read on to see why social media might not actually be the answer your business is looking for.

Do you need help deciding? We can help!

Your business doesn’t have a social media strategy

As with any business endeavour, some planning ahead and a quality strategy are vital to the success of your social media channels.

‘But what is a social media strategy?’ you may ask. Well, a social media strategy should spell out all of the objectives for what will appear on your social media accounts, any quantitative goals in terms of engagement and reach, as well as any plans of how these goals might be achieved.

Based on your target audience, a social media strategy should outline which social media channels you will attract your audience to and the correct timing to do so.
Without a strategy, your efforts may be misguided and will likely fail to achieve the results you are hoping for.

Your business isn’t in a position to invest in social media

Gone are the days of free advertising simply by having a Facebook page. Unfortunately now, to target those who most need to see your page, ongoing financial investment is a requirement.

In fact, according to Marketing Land, to get the biggest social media ROI, you’ll need to spend around $200 to $300 per day to see any real return. Where does all that money go?

1. Content creation -engaging and unique content and imaging such as social media headers, must be created and distributed regularly.
2. Monitoring and testing – not every campaign will be as effective as others so it is necessary to be constantly testing and monitoring results to make sure your social media dollars are being spent wisely.
3. Ad spend – even though you are distributing high quality content, it is unfortunately a fact that to be successful on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you will need to spend on advertising to be at all effective.

You don’t have the staff to manage your social media

Hiring a social media manager is necessary for the time that should be dedicated to your social media presence. If you aren’t in a position to hire for this role, consider how you will divide the following tasks among your current staff:

• Establishing your business as a thought leader in your industry
• Maintaining a consistent voice across all channels
• Producing and distributing unique and engaging content
• Managing and tracking campaigns
• Increasing social media engagement
• Managing customer interactions via private message and on your social platforms
• Attracting new customers
• Staying ahead of new trends

Yes, there are some small businesses that manage effective social media strategies with measurable results. However, these businesses are usually fortunate enough to have big marketing budgets and staff dedicated to social media.
But if your small business is not among these, don’t feel like you have to be on Facebook or Twitter.

To look at other solutions to market your business online, reach out to us!