Problems With Social Media Networking For Business: Part One
Business people everywhere are being told that "social media campaigns" are mandatory for their marketing mix.
Businesspeople are being told, or at least tend to infer based on what they've heard, that social networking is the answer to all their marketing questions.
Yet, as great as we've all come to agree it is, social networking for business purposes is still in its infancy and full of problems.
A basic problem is that there are no best practices.
Universal standards have not been established; at least not to the point where a majority of businesspeople are anywhere near being close to aware of them.
As a result, another problem: businesspeople don't yet really know what they're doing or how best to apply social media to business.
A basic understanding of what social media is and what it does is often missing from the business owner's experience.
We just want to know how to use it to make money.
Fast and cheap.
When social networking/media specialists plan to "promote" your brand using social media, in many cases this means nothing more than producing the following for you: • Your blog.
• Your Facebook account.
• Your Twitter account.
And maybe even, • Your LinkedIn account.
That's usually it.
Within the week after that is all completed and paid for, you're left wondering, "Where are my sales and what did I just pay for?" WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BUSINESS, WHAT NO ONE TOLD YOU WAS THIS: "Social networking and the media it is delivered through, are not about making money!" These digital social "practices" are awesome vehicles for building relationships.
There are countless benefits that any marketing or branding "expert" can assure you, you need.
Problem is, in most cases, these things are intangible.
Understand that for business, the single most relevant, TANGIBLE asset that social networking and media produce, is "lead generation.
" For business owners, the FIRST problem with social networking is misinformation or more precisely, misguided expectations.
In most cases you CAN use it for your business for just the cost of the outsourcing which should be affordable and building your "social" Web destinations CAN be accomplished quickly.
However, building a substantial database of actual lead-generating RELATIONSHIPS using social networking is a process that is anything but, fast.
Understand that social networking in and of itself, by itself, doesn't instantly change or improve your business situation.
For best business results with social networking, your social campaign needs to be developed and implemented and that development and implementation needs to be created in conjunction with other efforts and elements.
Before you can even create a successful business campaign using social networks or media, there are several things to consider, develop and prepare.
Especially for new businesses, this includes in advance your: • Marketing plan.
(Includes online and off.
) • SEO (which involves keywords, meta, "tags," profiles and descriptions.
) • Brand logo.
• New media public relations.
• Images and photos.
• Sales plan and copy ("pitch").
• Primary Web site or blog.
• Content and content planning.
(May include articles, audio [podcasts] and video.
) Yes, these are the basics you should prepare BEFORE you begin creating your social networking campaign if you expect it to be an effective lead generation tool, have marketplace longevity and ultimately, result in profits for you.
Expecting to suddenly experience massive sales results after merely creating Facebook and Twitter accounts with no other marketing, advertising or communications for your brand is one major problem with social networking for business.
Knowing better is the solution.
Businesspeople are being told, or at least tend to infer based on what they've heard, that social networking is the answer to all their marketing questions.
Yet, as great as we've all come to agree it is, social networking for business purposes is still in its infancy and full of problems.
A basic problem is that there are no best practices.
Universal standards have not been established; at least not to the point where a majority of businesspeople are anywhere near being close to aware of them.
As a result, another problem: businesspeople don't yet really know what they're doing or how best to apply social media to business.
A basic understanding of what social media is and what it does is often missing from the business owner's experience.
We just want to know how to use it to make money.
Fast and cheap.
When social networking/media specialists plan to "promote" your brand using social media, in many cases this means nothing more than producing the following for you: • Your blog.
• Your Facebook account.
• Your Twitter account.
And maybe even, • Your LinkedIn account.
That's usually it.
Within the week after that is all completed and paid for, you're left wondering, "Where are my sales and what did I just pay for?" WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BUSINESS, WHAT NO ONE TOLD YOU WAS THIS: "Social networking and the media it is delivered through, are not about making money!" These digital social "practices" are awesome vehicles for building relationships.
There are countless benefits that any marketing or branding "expert" can assure you, you need.
Problem is, in most cases, these things are intangible.
Understand that for business, the single most relevant, TANGIBLE asset that social networking and media produce, is "lead generation.
" For business owners, the FIRST problem with social networking is misinformation or more precisely, misguided expectations.
In most cases you CAN use it for your business for just the cost of the outsourcing which should be affordable and building your "social" Web destinations CAN be accomplished quickly.
However, building a substantial database of actual lead-generating RELATIONSHIPS using social networking is a process that is anything but, fast.
Understand that social networking in and of itself, by itself, doesn't instantly change or improve your business situation.
For best business results with social networking, your social campaign needs to be developed and implemented and that development and implementation needs to be created in conjunction with other efforts and elements.
Before you can even create a successful business campaign using social networks or media, there are several things to consider, develop and prepare.
Especially for new businesses, this includes in advance your: • Marketing plan.
(Includes online and off.
) • SEO (which involves keywords, meta, "tags," profiles and descriptions.
) • Brand logo.
• New media public relations.
• Images and photos.
• Sales plan and copy ("pitch").
• Primary Web site or blog.
• Content and content planning.
(May include articles, audio [podcasts] and video.
) Yes, these are the basics you should prepare BEFORE you begin creating your social networking campaign if you expect it to be an effective lead generation tool, have marketplace longevity and ultimately, result in profits for you.
Expecting to suddenly experience massive sales results after merely creating Facebook and Twitter accounts with no other marketing, advertising or communications for your brand is one major problem with social networking for business.
Knowing better is the solution.