Where do they fit in your business?
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is in many people's thoughts these days. It is the latest 'buzz word' in online marketing. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and others are some of the many avenues you can use to market your services and products, but do they work and are they the best fit for your company?
How many of your clients or prospective clients are using the social media sites for anything other than keeping up with friends? Here's a story – a husband of a friend had an accident on the way to work the other week. She told us all on Facebook he was OK, so over the next few days we got updates, an insurance claim was stated but not the insurance company. The car was written off and funds were made available to them to buy another car. All of this went well but again there was no mention of the car company. Would not this be where social media marketing would work the best?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enables people to search online for your business. If you have done it right you will be found, if you have not done it right you will not be found. You may even be frustrated and wanting to try something new. Local SEO is making your business visible to local people searching for your products and services, not your business name as they may not know you exist. Example: Bob Bolt and Sons sells beds but you are looking for nuts and bolts and you find his website. Is that search good for either of you? I do not think so.
Many businesses are being guided to use these social websites but are they the best for you and your business? They may become part of your marketing at some stage but have you done as much as you can to capture as many clients who are not on the social websites? Will you end up spending time 'mainly working with these clients rather than building your business?
For instance have you got your business on to the first page of Google and are you keeping it there without having to pay for directory services? Again have you optimized your web presence? Have you drawn people to your website and is your website doing what you need it to do? Because if your website is not doing what you need it to you could be in danger of jumping from the frying pan into the fire (so to speak) by climbing on the Social Media Marketing band wagon.
There is a place for Social Media Marketing . However it should not be used as a "fix all" when there are many other steps that can give you a better return on investment both in time and dollars. Some of the steps can be taken without even having a website. Yes this is possible.
So, have you optimized your website? Have you invited your clients on to a monthly mail out and have you checked out the other places you can promote your business to get good rankings on Google? Have you made videos or written articles and know the best place to put them?
30% of businesses have a web presence in one way or another. 70% have none but are thinking of using Social Media. What is the best for your business to enable you to keep up with the play on the internet and be found when your clients are searching for your product or services.
