It seems as though a social network emerges every week. This can leave business owners wondering which one is best for elevating their business.
Many business owners are asking whether they should stay dedicated to Facebook or focus more on Pinterest. It can get overwhelming and frustrating for business owners who don’t have time to manage even one social network — let alone eight. Based on my experience and research, business owners fall into one of the following categories.
- Build it, and I’m with it. These business owners hop on every social platform that pops up — not because they want to but because they think they need to. They think their business or brand is not relevant if it’s not classified as socially enabled. This mindset could harm a brand by spreading it too thin across social networks. Without manpower, resources and time to manage it, the social media presence of a brand suffers.
- I’m not touching social media with a 10-foot pole. These business owners stay as far away from social media as possible. Even with Facebook nearing a billion users and Twitter passing 500 million, they still think it’s a fad. They think they don’t need to be on any social network, or they are stuck on old-fashioned belief that engaging with customers goes only one way. Perhaps they are afraid to explore beyond their comfort zone. Personally, I see no benefit from this technique. By the time you decide to get on the social-networking bandwagon, all of your customers are already interacting with competitors, while you arrive too late to the party.
- Socially savvy. These business owners pick and choose which social networks to use. They have an idea of pros and cons of each social platform. They are also aware of the time, knowledge and engagement needed to develop and maintain a successful social community and presence. Such owners’ business or brand tends to be substantially more successful than others.
Remember, to be successful in social media, one has to be ready to accept and adjust to change. Social media is a fast-paced medium that needs consistent nurturing, adjustment and change.
Sound off in the comments. Which type of business owner are you?
Andre Kay is CEO and chief marketing officer of Sociallybuzz, which provides social media management, marketing, fan-page application development and social media consultation. The company is designed to help companies, brands and businesses develop a firm foundation in social media and marketing while delivering the greatest number of options in how they define or reach their relevant audience.