We\’re sure there are people reading this who are finding it hard to believe that there are some organisations out there who have yet to make an investment into social media.
No Twitter. No Facebook. No Instagram. No LinkedIn. No Google+. No social presence whatsoever.
However, we also know that there are more people out there than some would likely believe who simply don\’t feel social media is something their business needs to be focusing on. They\’re seeing success via other channels and as such, think any investment in social media would just be an unnecessary outgoing.
And we understand the reasoning behind this – why rock the boat by taking something else onboard if it looks like things are going swimmingly without doing so?
But although we do see why some feel this way, the reality is today, social media needs to stop being seen as an optional investment, but almost a requirement for businesses, for the simple fact that you\’re audience are almost guaranteed to expect it.
We\’ve developed as consumers considerably in recent years and we now want two things – to be able to learn a considerable amount of information about a company and to get almost instant answers to any questions we have, both of which can be achieved through effective, regular use of social media.
When we have something to ask about a product, many of us now head to the company\’s Twitter or Facebook page first and foremost before we consider e-mailing or calling. It\’s a quick and easy way to get an answer to our questions and as such, from a company point of view, it reduces the likelihood of a potential customer going to a competitor as they can\’t get an immediate solution to their issue.
Now of course, just as there is with web design and SEO, there comes an investment requirement with social media – either a time or financial one – which can put some off. Particularly if you\’re a small business, it can be difficult to find free time or finances and as a result, social media can unfortunately be put on the back burner.
But what you need to keep in mind is that not only are your audience likely to be expecting you to have a presence on social media (and therefore if you provide it, you\’ll instantly increase their satisfaction levels), but it can very easily lead to a greater level of conversions – for many, social media is their website\’s key referrer and so whatever your investment in it is, if it\’s delivered effectively, you should soon be seeing a positive return on it.
Social media isn\’t going away. It\’s not a fad or a passing phase and the simple fact is, if you\’re an organisation who hasn\’t yet made the move to social, you genuinely need to be looking at just how beneficial it could be for you.
Image: sofiaperesoa (Wikipedia)