In the last couple of weeks, I have been making presentations and talking to people in the industry about how easy Social Media can be if you set up an organized plan. For some larger companies I often bring up the thought of hiring a Social Media Manager to take care of various pages and constantly be updating content and working with other web based tasks as well. Most of the businesses I talk to seem interested in the concept of Social Media, but when it comes to talking about taking time and money out of their schedule, people start to become very skeptical. Now, this is understandable for any business venture that varies from what a business is currently doing. You have to scrutinize opportunities so you don’t fall into any traps. The number one thing people say to me about Social Media is that it is nothing more than a passing fad.
Today I’m going to tell you why Social Media and web analytics aren’t just a fad for this industry or for any industry. I’ll explain why it is vital for any business large or small to pay attention to what is happening out there on the internet.
The first reason that you need to be constantly monitoring what is going on out there is because your competitors are doing the same things and working toward advancements. I will say this; at any level in this industry all of your competitors are online somehow. In today’s world if something isn’t online then it doesn’t exist. I will also say that most of your competitors are involved in Social Media in some way. That poses a problem for your business. If your competitors are out there getting their name out there and you are not, what is that doing for your market share? Sure, maybe Social Media pages still aren’t as great an advertising tool as something like a TV commercial spot, but things are changing and more people turn to a computer rather than a TV every day. Bottom Line: your competitors are using Social Media to gain a following, and whether you like it or not you should be using SM to do the same just to say at an even level with your competition.
The second reason that Social Media is a must right now is to get ahead of the changes that are about to occur. Right now we still see Boomers and Generation X holding all the money in the economy. However, this is about to change in the next 5 to 10 years. Millennials (Gen Y) are getting older, and getting better jobs as Boomers move along. Along with this we will begin to see freedom from debt and monetary gain. Millennials will become the top consumer, and you know where Millennials go for information? Well here’s a hint: currently roughly a quarter of Millennials check their Facebook before rolling out of bed. It’s the first thing they do after they wake up. Think about how that percentage increases as the day goes on. Think of how many Millennials would have checked their Facebook by noon? If you aren’t on Facebook then there is no chance that they see you by checking their Facebook page. Also like any other ad campaign there is no cure-all. It would be impossible to reach every member of your target audience in any kind of ad. We need to think of Social Media just like that. You can’t reach everyone, but if you aren’t out there you won’t reach anyone.
The last reason (that I’ll list to keep today’s post from taking up five pages) that Social Media is worth the time and money is that it’s free/cheap. As I’ve said over and over again in these blog posts, if your business isn’t already on Facebook and Twitter something is wrong. Setting up a profile is free and takes under ten minutes. For big companies who are wary of hiring someone to a Social Media Manager role or having someone keep the content on their SM pages up to date; I ask: Are you paying for print ads? Are you paying to print sell sheets? Are you paying for TV spots? Of course you are, so why not work it in your budget to possibly get away from some forms of media that you are seeing a decline on and take a chance on Social Media. Heck for most companies that do print ads, there is a creative person, a designer, and an editor. Therefore not only does the company pay for the ad but they have to pay the people who are making the ad! With Social Media you pay someone to do a job and it’s done! You don’t pay by post on Facebook, and you don’t pay by minute on YouTube!
I know today’s post was a little bold. I just hear people tell me that Social Media is just a passing fad, so they don’t want to get involved, and I honestly feel bad. In a couple of years a new generation will be controlling the market place and the companies who didn’t get a head start on this Social/Web based marketing are going to be left in the dust. This is one of those points where the older generations in the Horticulture industry really need to listen to the Millennials breaking into the industry and try to figure out what is TRULY best for the future.
I would really love to hear any questions, comments, or even if you would like more reasons of why you need to be involved in Social Media please contact me. Email : mday55@gmail.com , Twitter : @mday55 , LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mason-day/20/9aa/233
No comments:
Post a Comment