You’re starting out in business, or maybe you’ve been in business a while but everyone is saying you need to have a social media presence.
If you agree, and if you’re a small business, you have to be realistic in what you can do with social media.
The first rule is not to overdo the number of platforms you use. You just won’t have the time or resources to maintain several accounts, so stick to just a couple. Unless you have someone dedicated to running them, you’ll be distracted and overwhelmed if you have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and so on.
Let’s say you set up a Facebook page because you have big plans for marketing your business. You load it with lots of information and you get a few ‘Likes’.
Then you realise you’re going to have to put some effort in. To get your information in front of a lot of people, you need to get them following your page. So you have to market the page.
Then you have to keep posting on the page to keep it up to date. And you have to delete posts from other people because the posts are not relevant. And you have to reply to people who post or message you with often bizarre requests or information. You need to load photos and edit your posts so they’re accurate and grammatically correct.
The message is if you’re using social media, be prepared to put time and effort into it. It could mean up to an hour a day. Can you afford that when you need to be out making money for your business?
You might be better to provide a regular electronic newsletter specifically targeted for your clients, suppliers and prospects.