Social Media Is Not Right For Your Business If…

by adam on October 22, 2009 · View Comments

in Customer Engagement, Marketing Strategy, Social Media

hearnoevil

…you don’t like to listen to your customers.

…your company mantra is “It’s All About the Revenue” and not “It’s All About the Customer (the Revenue Will Follow).”

…your product is known to annoy or frustrate customers, but you don’t really think their gripes are legitimate.

…you don’t like to listen to your employees, and getting employees to change their thinking is impossible.

…you outsource 100% of your marketing, sales and customer service functions.

…you think that you have control over conversations about your brand and products.

…you think that Facebook is a good channel to leverage just because it’s mentioned often in USAToday.

…you think your company should be on Twitter because celebrities are doing it.

…you like to spend a lot of money for slow market research projects that are a single point in time.

…you think it’s a myth how social media can impact the enterprise.

…you could care less about being marginalized by your customers.

…you think SEO is voodoo and has no benefit or correlation to social media.

…you think your customers are too stupid to come up with real product ideas.

…you don’t think it matters what your competitors are doing.

…you think the content on your website isn’t going to drive sales.

…you don’t believe there are proven applications of social media.

What did I miss?

Photo credit: stuckincustoms via flickr

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  • it's not right for you if you Don't know how to USE it haha lol..just to add a little spark...kidding aside...it's not right for you if you just use it to create a sort of backlink but would not really really want to devote some time to make it work for you on other aspect. :D it would hurt your business eventually.
  • ...You don't like talking to human beings
    ...You see Facebook, Twitter as advertising/marketing campaign distribution platforms

    Adam - This got me thinking. I like to think that social media can help all businesses in some respect but are there any that really don't need it and never will?

    Fishermen?
  • ... you still haven't heard about email
    ... you think a kindle is for lighting fires
    ... you've never eaten Skittles
  • ... you think change is a four letter word.
    ... you like telling people to get off your lawn.
    ... your company is stuck in the stone age and you rather like it there.
  • Adam,

    Great points. Here’s a few more:

    Social media is not right for your business if ...
    ... all the marketing content you develop is just product pitches instead of useful customer-focused material.
    ... you have the illusion you are the one controlling your brand message in the marketplace.
    … you believe social media is for you (hint: it’s for your customers).
    … you think social media is free.
    … you spend more time putting together legal policies than connecting to your customers.
    … you do not integrate social media into your overall marketing plan.
    … you have no marketing plan (for social media or otherwise).

    Cheers,

    -Alex
  • Great additions, thanks! The "social media is free" one is a gem.
  • ...if you believe that direct mail and print are the best ways to market your business.
  • kevinertell
    Good stuff, Adam. Funny and biting. I would just expand a bit on "you think the content on your website isn’t going to drive sales" to say a social media strategy is not right for you if you aren't applying a lot of energy to ensuring your destination site is all it can be from a customer experience perspective. Driving more traffic to a poor site is ultimately unproductive.
  • Great point Kevin - although I don't always think of social media as being the most effective at driving traffic. Still, if someone is coming to your site (via whatever means) they need to have a positive experience.
  • Good summary Adam. I'd add this:

    ... you plan to establish a presence on Twitter, Facebook, etc. and then walk away.

    Companies that choose not to engage at all are one thing, but it seems even worse when they create Twitter accounts & Facebook Fan Pages and then ignore the folks who try to reach out to them through these channels. This speaks to your broader point about lacking a strategy.
  • Great add! You've got me thinking; that could be a whole separate blog post on how it could be worse to start and abandon, than to not start. It could also be bad to start and not be relevant - as the social media space matures businesses will be expected to get it right the first try. Hmm.... Thanks for the thoughts Chad.
  • Adam,

    Very salient points, especially the one about being on Facebook because it's mentioned in USA Today. A statement I most dislike hearing from companies include "I need a [insert social media channel] strategy."

    My usual response is, "Why?"

    To which, inevitably, they say, "that's where the people are."

    What they REALLY need is a content strategy. The channels for participation will be derived from that. Put cart back behind horse.
  • I hear that all the time, and agree that "Why?" is a great response.
    The only thing I'd amend to the content strategy is to define
    objectives and develop a full strategy with social media - providing
    good content is a major part, but a plan and approach for listening
    and engaging is just as important. Thanks for your feedback.
  • I tend to hear "I need a Facebook page" most often, Twitter strategy second. I also respond with "Why?" The only thing I'd amend to the content strategy is to define objectives (brand awareness? build customer loyalty?) and develop a full strategy in social media based on where customers are and where conversations about the brand are taking place. Providing a solid content roadmap is one key part, but listening (first) and a plan for eventually engaging in communities is just as important. A content strategy to me implies a push of value-add content - we need to addres the "pull" and two-way dialogue too. Thanks for sharing and your feedback!
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