3 Excuses For Small Businesses Not To Use Social Media
I always hear the same excuses for why businesses don’t use Social Media! Sorry, but in the words of Dr. Phil – ‘That dog won’t hunt’.
Excuse #1
“I just don’t know where to begin!”
The easiest way to start using social media for your company is by choosing 1 or 2 social media networks to get started. Most small businesses start off with LinkedIn and Facebook. Once you become comfortable with these networks then expand to some more!
Excuse #2
“I just don’t have the time!”
Translation “I don’t want to grow my business!”
Can social media be time consuming? You bet! Unless you start with a clear plan in mind and a simple check list you stick with every day. Remember to make social media part of your routine.
Excuse #3
“I can’t see how it can benefit my company”
You got customers? Are you looking for more? Then social media, done properly, will benefit your company. If your company specializes in dry walling or saving the world from space invaders, social media will develop strong relationships with your current customers (or earthlings) and help you build a solid network of potential new customers and business opportunities (such as intergalactic mercenary services).
Now that we have shot a hole in your reasons for not using social media, it’s time to pull your head out of the **sand** and start building your brand and your business!
If your looking for excuses for other things like not doing your homework or for playing hooky from work try this neat little Excuse Generator !
Good Post Amy,
Those are three of the most common things – But I have a few more, that I’ll let you expand on if you’d like
4. How much will this cost?
5. How much time does it take to do all this?
6. If you had to choose one social media to use, which one would it be?
Now, touching on your second point –
“I just don’t have time”
I would have to disagree with the translation – It’s not that they don’t want to grow their business, personally I work with people daily who would love to have a successful business, rich with clients. But they honestly feel they don’t have the time to do anything else
Already wearing all the hats in the company, with addition of trying carefully to balance life with work – Time is lean.
When I hear “I just don’t have time” I think of it more this way
“I need to be shown why this is worth even a second of my time to spend on. If I’m shown that it’s profitable, engaging and fun, I might be able to spare that 5 minutes in the morning. I need to be educated.” Alright it’s a lot from one sentence.
Have an inspired day,
Josh Muirhead.
Hi Josh,
First, I’d like to apologize for how long it has taken me to respond!
You are right, I did over simplify my ‘translation’ but I was trying to make the point that social media is incredibility important for any business today and that business owners need to find the time for social media if they want to stay competitive.
I have to disagree with the ‘sparing of 5 minutes a day’ though, I believe a *minimum* of 15 minutes a day is much more realistic for a successful online presence.
Question #4 How much does this cost? & Question #5 How much time does it take to do all this?
Because this form of marketing is new to so many businesses, I believe it is incredibly important for professionals who specialize in Social Media to be as transparent as possible when it comes to fees and spend a great deal of time in education.
It seems these 2 questions are eluding to the the much argued about ‘Social Media ROI’ which Lisa May Huby wrote a great blog post about http://lisamayhuby.com/2010/01/social-media-roi-are-you-freakin%E2%80%99-kidding-me/
In the words of Erik Qualman, author of the book Socialnomics “What’s the ROI on your phone?”
Question #6 If you had to choose one social media to use, which one would it be?
This is a hard question to answer, it really depends on the company! If I was selling the latest craze in stuffed animals I don’t think I would be targeting ‘LinkedIn’. If I was a corporate headhunter then I wouldn’t be targeting ‘MySpace’.
Thanks for your comments! I really appreciated them!
Make it a great day!
Amy