Does Social Media Matter

The answer is complicated, it’s yes and no. For starters, building a social network, no matter if the platform takes a long time, that is if you choose to do it organically. However, it is a popular way people get to know you before giving you a call and support you once they’ve become a client.

Since this can get complicated, let’s explain the yes and no.

Why You Should Have Social Media

People judge, plain and simple, and they want to judge you. There’s a reason there are third party apps that let you know who has been scoping your profile out, and when. The why is a mystery only you can guess. Is your competitor lurking from the shadows to see how popular you are, or what activities you’ve been up to? Is someone second-guessing calling you for business and testing how active you are with your online community? One may never know but can privately message a spy to find out more. Either way, your fans, prospects, and haters will usually check you out. The saying is “no bad press”.

With this judgement comes the quick assessment on how many followers you have, likes your recent in-house workshop got, and what you’re all about – meaning, what do you do day-to-day and is it cool enough? So yes, you’ll want to satisfy these viewers and keep up with the Joneses. Someone out there will be interested and will want more of what you offer.

Why You Should Not Have Social Media

Not everyone you work so hard for when creating content can be your client. While it’s nice to have a fan living in Canada, how are they going to bring your local American business profit? Sure, they may have friends in the area and can refer (which supports our “Yes” section), but some people are just fans. Having a large following and many likes can be lucrative but look at the influencers of the world – it’s a full-time job. If your role is within a brick-and-mortar or operating at a hands-on level for client needs, when do you have the time to create reels, vlogs, and develop graphics or take photos? Many business owners do not. If you post 1-3 times per week, expect a long game. It’s been recommended to post up to 2x per day to build an audience quickly.

Then there are paid ads. You didn’t think getting a large audience and gaining monetary rewards would be free and fast, did you? The A-word (algorithms) are wired to spot you “selling” when you haven’t paid the platform’s company. For that, you are penalized. You’ll get less impressions meaning fewer people see your post – a post you worked so hard to make.

If you’re building an organic reach (no money invested) and want true followers who will potentially pay you, you’ll need to stay trendy. This means spending time scrolling and catching the most popular song, voiceover, dance, prank, meme, etc. And trends get old fast. Like we said, it’s a full-time job.

How to Incorporate Social Media into Your Business

1. If you’re going to do this then it must come out of your marketing budget. Here’s what you pay for:
   1. Someone else to create, post, and manage
   2. Monthly ad campaigns

This is the only way to save time and money. If you’re not interested in financial gain from social media, then why do it at all? It’ll cost you time, which is money. The ROI doesn’t add up.

1. Choose 1-2 platforms. You do not need every account under the sun. The best platforms align with your industry and what you serve. What’s more important, if you create content on one think about how it can be used on other online marketing platforms you use. For example, a short-form video can be served on your website to target a more precise demographic you wish to serve, because people who visit your site are more likely to buy from you rather than from social media. 
2. Make it your last decision. If social media was your only avenue to sell, then you’re an influencer which may be different than what you truly do. If you sell locally or from your website, try to maximize your marketing budget to optimize your site before you spend a dime funneling to social media. People still use search engines, even AI software, to look up information, possibly far more than social media. Unless you’re in the entertainment industry, just looking to have fun and well, entertain. People usually go to social media to be entertained.
3. Find out where your demographic hangs out. If you have a social media budget for say, home health care marketing, are you going to create a Home Safety Tip reel on a platform where Gen Z and Gen Alpha spend time? No, you’ll benefit from advertising more on an older platform where your Millennials and Boomers spend the most time, since they’re the ones with senior well-being on their minds.

All-in-all, social media is a business strategy and not one-size-fits-all. You will need to decide if moving forward is the right direction or if holding off is best. Don’t fall for the trap that you must be on social media to do well in business. Many millionaires never had a profile, and many millionaires pay their bills with a profile or two. Who are you and who do you want to be?