Depending on which survey you look at, the statistics are generally consistent when it comes to small businesses and their use of social media. The bottom line is that the majority of small businesses don’t use social media on any level, and many of those that do don’t have an actual plan or strategy to do so. They are simply doing it because they know they need to be doing it or they (the small business owner) are already using (for example) Facebook on a personal level, so they figure they need to start using it for their business. Heck, only about half of small businesses in the U.S. even have a website, so social media isn’t even on their radar.
That got me thinking about what the biggest issues are for small businesses when it comes to social media. I have written about some of these in the past, but here is my list of the top 5 issues as I see it:
1. Not enough time.
Who has enough time, right? Small business owners especially don’t have enough time. Being a small business owner myself, I struggle with spending enough time with the family while getting everything else done that I have to get done. I have come to believe that if you want to have any sort of effectiveness with social media, you’ll have to simply carve out some time somewhere to do so. And that may mean giving something else up.
2. No written, clearly defined plan.
If you don’t write it down, you may never remember it. Write down what you want to accomplish with your social media outreach. Do you want to gain X number of fans per week? Do you want to increase your online sales by 10% per month? What do you want? Well, write it down. Then print it out and tape it to your bathroom mirror so every morning you are reminded why you are doing this. And while you are at it, tape it to the top of your computer monitor as well so it’s always there in front of you. And if you are going to have others helping you, print some copies for their bathroom mirror too. Speaking of others, look at the next item…
3. The wrong people for the job.
I am fond of saying, “Just because your younger cousin in high school is ‘good with Facebook’ and needs a summer job, that doesn’t mean that he should be the one in charge of your social media outreach.” And it’s true. Would you put someone in charge of your taxes who read an accounting book one time? No, you wouldn’t. That would be dumb. Yet you would allow someone to represent you in social media circles who doesn’t know much about who you are or what your business is about. Make sure that whoever is helping you understands the appropriate way to respond to people, what to say, what not to say, what the overall goals are, etc. Read this post I did about ‘social media guidelines’. It’s a good place to start.
4. Posting the wrong things.
Ultimately, social media outreach is about making a personal connection and building relationships. Do you build a relationship with your children by writing inter-office memos and distributing them at the dinner table? Of course not. You spend time with them. You talk to them. You listen to them. Surprise… that’s what you do in social media as well. Every once in awhile you can post about what the special of the week is. But you can’t do that at first. You must spend time listening, having fun, listening some more, and building relationships. Post things that are helpful to people, things that are informative, and things that are fun.
5. Focusing on the product instead of the customer.
I’ve said it a thousand times…. talk about others 10 times more than you talk about yourself. Make your fans/followers/customers feel like they are the most important person in the room. Most people spend vast amounts of time in Facebook because they are making personal connections with others. Well, and playing Farmville too, but you get my point. If you want to squeeze into their life, then you’ll have to meet them where they are. That means focusing on them… what they want… what they need. Do that, and the next time they need one of the things that you offer, they will come to you because they will remember you.
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