Short answer – NO. Not everyone needs to be concerned with having a professional business presence in social media networks. How do you know if you can get a note to skip gym class? Here’s a quick and easy checklist to determine if you should take social media seriously:
- Do you value what your customers are saying about you?
- Do you need more customers?
- Is customer service important to your company?
- Are you looking for ways to stay ahead of your competition?
- Do you sell goods or services?
- Are you actively expanding your customer base?
- Would you like to gain additional business from existing customers?
- Are customer referrals important to your business?
- Is becoming the first place people look when purchasing the goods and services you sell important to you?
- Do you need to build a brand outside of your existing customer base?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then a social media plan could be beneficial for your bottom line. I’ve met plenty of companies that have answered ‘no’ to all of the questions. While they may not admit to answering ‘no’, their actions prove otherwise. Incorporating a social media strategy into your business plan is not difficult or time consuming, but it does require expertise and planning.
Do you know where to start? Start by listening! Two places to start – your Google and Twitter.
You don’t need accounts to perform searches. Start by searching on your company name, industry, and relevant phrases and terms (as well as competitors) to find out what conversations are already going on. Surprised at what you found – or didn’t find? Social media content is essentially “Google food” and together with a well-crafted plan, can get you actively involved with potential customers.
So what’s holding YOU back?