Posted: 2012-02-07 13:22:41
To balance an active presence on social media, SME sales, operations and other priorities is not always easy.
However, a way has to be found as the importance of social media to the marketing mix is now inescapable.
Does this mean we are seeing the end of the world as far as websites and search engines are concerned? Perhaps even the beginning of a new world where your website will only be found through social media?
To some extent both of those questions are pointing the way ahead. Certainly larger businesses, with large marketing budgets, are paying a great deal of attention and money towards their social media presence.
More interesting still is the increasing leakage of social media presence and activity into search results. In other words if you have a strong social media presence it can affect positively how your website is ranked on Google.
Just to make the waters very muddy, Google now has its own social media product: Google+. If you thought your Facebook presence was coming along nicely and are now fully addicted to Twitter, it's time to think again, because Google+ does look like it is here to stay.
Who really has time for all of this stuff?
Well the big boys pay marketing staff, or subcontractors and so they buy the time.
What hope then for the little business person who has a limited marketing budget and only 24 hours in any one day?
Like anything, the key issue is the return on the time. If every time you posted something on your Facebook page you got at least one enquiry then it's almost a no-brainer.
The enquiries have to be converted into sales of course. But if you have a good conversion rate then you can justify the time easily.
However, for most people the return is not that clear cut and it can be difficult to establish the exact return on such activity at the start.
In many ways it can be like physically (business) networking. It can provide a return, but there is always a risk it becomes an end in its own right - draining valuable sales, or productive time away.
It is difficult to make an accurate assessment until you risk some valuable time and get started.
Do social media and running a small business mix then?
The answer is an undoubuted yes - they have to.
A presence for your business within the primary social media networks will prove to be essential in the long term.
You may not feel you have the time for it all at the start, but if the issue is not addressed you may well have more time for it in the future than you would like.
If you can't do it yourself, delegate or subcontract it. Why not speak to TTMG Internet about it - we may be able to help you out.