A survey reveals 50 percent small business doesn’t use social media, while only 12 percent said it’s a must. Are small business owners perceiving that social media is a waste of time? For small businesses that do use social media as part of their marketing strategy, are they really wasting their time?
To many, social media activities are considered as a waste of time. I can’t blame them. Many people go to Facebook and Twitter to connect with family and friends, as well as playing games and such, and if those activities are done within office hours (which they are) the result is poor productivity level.
Let’s take Facebook as an example. According to Mashable.com, Facebook is the ultimate time waster, with users averaging more than 4 hours a day. With the fact that Facebook is now having more than 800 million users, the impact of Facebook is powerful – for better or worse.
It’s depending how you look at it, really – do you want to view social media as glass half full or half empty.
If you asked me, I would like to see the social media from glass half full perspective. Just think about it: 800 million users are spending on average of over 4 hours a day on Facebook alone. What about Twitter? LinkedIn? And the other social media platform?
You get the drift: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the rest present you with a humongous group of customers you can target as a small business.
We can’t deny the fact that small business owners need to be proactive in building a relationship with their customers and potential clients. Social media can give you just that – a billion of potential customers, so to speak.
Related: Practical tips on how to do social media marketing the right way
Is social media marketing really a waste of time?
It’s depending on how you look at it. For a small business owner, having employees spending so much time on social media during office hours won’t make your day. However, let’s see the social media beyond your own company’s scope. There are potential clients out there that can supplement your company’s overall lose of productivity.
Some of you who have tried social media for your small business purpose might view social media marketing as a waste of time. Well, let’s be honest here; the real question is, are you doing social media for business purposes the right way?
The reasons why your social media marketing activities a waste of time is probably because of ineffectiveness and inefficiency in your effort. This article from Business on Main, titled “Are You Wasting Your Time on Facebook and Twitter?,” can show you exactly how you should do your social media marketing efforts to avoid a waste of resources on your part – one of the best practical advices is this:
Many companies make the mistake of posting too much on social media initially, then pulling back, which is worse than doing nothing at all… small companies (need) to be realistic and post relevant information no more than a few times a week to start.
Well said. That’s what I do wrong. That’s what many business owners do wrong. You and I need to devise a social media marketing strategy that will give the best return on your investment.
For example, Facebook and Google+ are the best social media to market consumer goods; Twitter is the best if you are in technology industry; LinkedIn is perfect for getting consulting and counseling clients. The point is, you need to really explore several social media options to discover which social media sites give the most results for your small business.
So, do you want to learn how to do your social media marketing better? Do you want to learn which social media sites would be the perfect match for your small business branding, products and services?
Social media marketing practical tips
Bonus: social media marketing e-book
Want a free guide to social media marketing? Click here to download the PDF document – free, no fluff, no catch :)
Ivan Widjaya
Social media marketing tips
Disclaimer: I receive incentives to share my views on this particular blog post, but all of the opinions are my own. My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main.