Saying No to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Social Media Marketing for SME

Return to the articles' index. Saying No to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube was first published in the New Zealand Tourism Guide's July 2011 newsletter. It was aimed primarily at owners of small and medium-sized tourism businesses in New Zealand.

Saying No to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Social media marketing is definitely all the rage at the moment and it's easy to get fooled into thinking that unless you have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, forums and blogs your online business is doomed to failure. However, when time, resources and perhaps even energy are in short-supply, it's a wise move to spend time defining your online marketing goals before deciding which tools best achieve them.

Social Media Marketing – The Positives

Typically fans of social media marketing sing out about the following benefits:

  • Relationships – A (potential) affinity with customers and brand loyalty
  • Target Markets – No longer the preserve of 18-35 year olds, social media is increasingly used by all ages and demographics
  • Viral Mouth of Word – Your offers and messages spread by other people
  • Brand Personality – Created through your 'tone of voice' or writing style
  • Customer Feedback – Business insights into your business via polls and surveys
  • Low Cost – Profiles and pages on Facebook and Twitter are inexpensive.

At first glance, it all looks great, but you should also think about whether you need long-term relationships with customers (who may never visit New Zealand again), whether your target market is 'facebooking' or even English-speaking and whether your brand is an established (or needs to be an established) business asset. Before you commit yourself or your staff to creating and maintaining numerous avatars, find out whether social media marketing is really for you. Ask the following questions.

Social Media Marketing – The Negatives

  • Relationships – Are you building relationships of value? Are your customers likely to be returning ones?
  • Time Consuming – Do you have time to maintain your platforms adequately? Neglected and outdated posts can unintentionally create a negative impression about your business.
  • Lack of Business Objective – Fans or followers are nice, but where is the money coming from and for what?
  • 'Bad' Word Of Mouth – Are you happy to see negative comments posted? Do you have time to respond to each and every criticism?
  • One Voice – Can your business create or write in a consistent voice? Are you happy that you or your staff can respond professsionally and creatively at all times?
  • Low Cost – Is it inexpensive for your business to maintain these platforms when you allow for staff time, education and continual maintenance?

Many businesses may find that maintaining and optimising a website and/or blog as well as keeping up with the latest Google offerings is more than enough for them. If you do want to give Facebook, Twitter andYouTube a whirl, go ahead, but saying 'no' may just make for better business sense (for now).

Glossary

If any of these terms sound like a foreign language to you, please don't stew about it. You can refer to the (easy-to-understand) glossary of terms for more information.

Store Them Away

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"Article about whether social media marketing such as Facebook, twitter and YouTube are right for your small or medium sized business."