Does Social Media Marketing Work?
Social media marketers believe that you need to build a dynamic and ongoing presence on Facebook and Twitter to build awareness and attract new customers. There are definitely some success stories, but it is a mistake to think that it will automatically work for your business. Even if you execute a social media marketing plan flawlessly, social networks may not contribute to your success as much as more traditional methods and may even be a waste of time.
First of all, you may not have a business that can really benefit from this type of marketing. Perhaps your target demographics do not avidly use social media platforms, or your services cannot effectively be promoted through social media. If your business does not have regular information or promotions to advertise through the platform, users will likely lose interest.
To stay relevant and attract more people through social media, you or someone you delegate must post new and relevant content as frequently as possible. This can take an extraordinary amount of time. When you are operating a business, you can find yourself crushed by the demands of social media, denting your productivity and profit.
Many businesses have tried advertising on Facebook in order to beef up their traffic, but studies have shown that paid Google ads have a substantially higher rate of return. Google AdWords provider WordStream recently released a report showing that the cost of advertising with Facebook rose 40% this year, while their click through rates actually fell by 8%. While social media platforms may be growing in popularity, it is unclear as to whether or not the paid ads will ever produce returns as successful as other paid online marketing solutions, such as Google AdWords.
Of course it is tempting to want to jump on the social media bandwagon and deliver your message to their vast member base. However, you could also come across looking desperate for attention, turning off customers, and wasting your own valuable time.
Instead of worrying about how you should best handle the online presence of your business, your time may be better spent focused on running your business and hiring a provider to develop a sensible online marketing strategy that may or may not include social media. By outsourcing these tasks, you can ensure that the job is done correctly, effectively, and most importantly, without taking up any of your valuable time away from what you do best.
