You might be getting ready for a spooky costume party on the night of this Friday the 13th, or thinking about how you are going to make a wig for your witch outfit out of spaghetti. Just how scary is Friday the 13th for you?
Fortunately the sun (if you are lucky to see it wherever you are) hasn’t gone down yet so, since we are probably still at work, let’s talk marketing. This very date has made me think of some fears we have about the marketing world. It made me think of the little rituals some people stubbornly follow to avoid those ‘scary’ parts of marketing.
We all tend to seek stability and familiar things, but in a fast-moving marketing world, we shouldn’t believe that doing the same thing every time will always get the expected results. Simply because it won’t. Things are constantly changing and require us, marketers and businesses in general, to move with it… or stay well behind. In a world increasingly dominated by social media we are all so connected. I’ve therefore decided to talk about some social media fears, and here are my top 6:
Fear number 1: “Let’s stick to the ‘real world’”
You are reading this blog online, aren’t you? Yet, there are some people who still think that focusing only on the “real world” is the best approach. With over 800 million on Facebok and 200 million tweets sent PER DAY, the online world IS the real world, there is no escaping. You either build your company an online presence or you are out of sight. Don’t forget the world out there, of course, but combine both to your business’ advantage.
Fear number 2: “It doesn’t affect my business”
You may think that social media doesn’t affect your industry in particular, but you could not be more wrong. It may not have a major effect now but it affects businesses in different ways and at different times– the challenge is to work out how, and what you need to do to maximise the opportunities and minimise the threats – yes, a tried and trusted SWOT analysis works a treat here.
Fear number 3: “We have to change completely the way we do things”
No, that is also not true. Some people ask themselves: “should we market online or offline?” The answer is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Social media is a potential marketing channel, as is direct mail, TV advertising, face to face networking and lots of others. The challenge is to identify what works for your business. And the best way to do that is to work out what you are trying to achieve as a whole and then from each channel, so you can maximise each channel in line with your marketing objectives and resources.
Fear number 4: “The IT Department can deal with it”
Well, they can certainly help setting things up and get you up and running, but unless they know everything about your business and can answer queries, give messages, spot opportunities and engage with clients and prospects, they should only be allowed to stick to what they know best.
Fear number 5: “We have to shout louder than everyone else”
People tend to compare numbers of ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ but, as they say, size isn’t everything! Social Media is just like any other marketing – it needs to be targeted, relevant and ‘value adding’. Just because people follow you, it doesn’t mean that they’re actually listening! Engagement is key, and it’s engagement with the right people: customers, potential customers, partners, influencers, and even suppliers. So, don’t just ‘shout’ -think about the messages and crucially, think about who they are targeted at!
Fear number 6: “It’s just about attracting customers”
Of course Social Media can raise your profile, help you make connections and attract customers. But the best users of social media are those that use it to listen to, and engage with their customers and communities. They use it to have conversations and ‘listen’ to what is going on. It’s an opportunity to observe many markets and the people that use your service/product, so don’t get too caught up with the shouting and pay attention to what is being said too.
So there you have it, 6 fears well and truly exorcised. Social media is here to stay and you definitely don’t want to get left behind. The question is what are you waiting for… (a creaking door??)?
(and by the way, if you need help, Happy Creative offers some pretty great bespoke packages for your business to make the most of social media – and much more – so feel free to give us a call!)
Marilia Spindler is an Account Executive at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
