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Lorraine Ball is founder and president of Roundpeg, a small business marketing and design firm. She is one of my mentors and a previous employer.
I have read, and been involved in a number of discussions, debates and arguments recently, regarding whether or not social media is an appropriate marketing strategy for every small business. (More than a few of these conversations have been fueled by my host, Kyle Lacy – Social Media is Not A Fad. Get Over It)
As my peers debate whether social media will deliver results and is it a good resource, I think they are asking and answering the wrong question. Of course it will deliver results. Of course it is a good resource, but that is not the right question. The right question is, if you have limited resources, is social media the BEST CHOICE?
The argument is often made that Social media is inexpensive; you can build a presence with just 30 minutes a day. For a small biz owner, particularly of a stage two company, where time is more valuable than money, spending 30 minutes a day on social media may be distracting you from something which will deliver greater results, sooner.
While social media is a good strategy, it may not be the best. The critical flaw in many of the arguments in defense of social media is the emphasis on the ease of use and isolated results; with no comparison to other marketing activities.
Marketing has always been about choices. Is a billboard a better investment, then a radio ad?. Will hiring a salesperson be more effective then a direct mail campaign? If social media is going to become widely accepted as a serious marketing medium, and I think it has the potential to do so, it has to be accountable to the same standards as every other media, delivering a higher return, for time and money invested.
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Comments
09.07.09
I definitely agree with this post and especially the thought that regardless of the medium used for marketing it is imperative to quantify results.
09.08.09
Great post! As with everything in life you have to have a balance. Although, I believe that social media will continue to play an increasing role in marketing strategies you cannot rely on this alone. I believe that networking (offline) along with "traditional" marketing techniques will enable companies to experience success.
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