Social Media Marketing: Do you Really Need It?
Social Media: What Are People Searching For?
When I was at the Web 2.0 conferences in San Francisco and New York last year, I was surprised by how many businesses were there looking for social media solutions to problems that had nothing to do with social media. Promoting your business on social media websites such as Facebook can be useful. I do it myself and recommend it for many businesses. But generally speaking, people go to social media to connect with friends and share fun information. Few people go to Facebook for the specific purpose of researching and buying a product or service.
Google Searches
However, when someone goes to Google, Yahoo, or Bing they are actively searching for something. They have some type of want or need for a product, service or information. Very often they are looking for a solution to a problem. For example, if someone wants know what search engine optimization is, they might type in that exact term on google. If they already know what the term means, they will type in a more specific term. For exampe, if they are in my home state, Utah, and want to hire a local company, they might type in “Utah SEO” or even, “Salt Lake City SEO.” Does that make sense?
How Do YOU Buy Products and Get Information?
Think of some recent searches that you have done. What did you want? Perhaps you wanted to get your gutters cleaned or wanted to find a chi gong practitioner or a real estate agent. God only knows! We search for a lot of things online, do we not? Would you go to Facebook to do that same search? Do you go there to buy a product?
Don’t get me wrong. I love social media and it can be an important part of a business’s marketing mix. But you can spend a great deal of time and energy on social media with little or no financial return. However, a high search engine rank for terms related to your business can provide you with a reliable and profitable pathway to sales.
It’s important to find out what pathways your customers use to buy products and services and put your business directly in those pathways. Social media is not always the best option for doing that.
I more or less agree. However, here’s an interesting (perhaps overly slick) counter-point, in video form.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng
Hi Bob. Great video! Thanks for posting it. I agree that social media is not a fad and its importance is only going to grow. I do recommend many using social media. What I emphasize in my consulting practice is how to maximize revenue growth using the minimum resources. Once a company has a clear website that converts and makes sales or generates leads social media can often be useful. But many social media campaigns that I have seen cost a great deal of time and money with little measurable return. To me, a social media campaign without measurable business outcomes is a risky tactic.
cheers – Ryan