Businesses and the Social Media Trap
“Which social network is best for business?” When I was asked this question last week, I was stumped. Not because a plethora of possibilities rushed to mind, but because this is the wrong question for a business to be asking, and it took me a moment to work out where to begin explaining that.
This question isn’t uncommon, though. Along with queries like, “How can I use Facebook for business?”, it reflects the growing desire of businesses to rectify past false starts with social media, and harness the possibilities they offer for branding and promotion.
What Business Assumes About Social Media
The question “Which social network is best for business?” assumes a lot of points about social networking, including:
- that every business must use social networking tools
- that there is a single social network that will allow a business to reach the largest possible number of audience members
- that any business’s social networking requirements can be met by a single social network
And that’s just for starters! To me, it also seems to imply that the business wants to tick the social networking box without actually committing to the realities of the medium, or its potential outcomes.
In Your Case…
The organization I was working with is a business-to-business industrial component supplier. Some time ago it established a Facebook page, but these days, not much happens on that page, and the team has realized it’s not sure how the company can use Facebook for business.
This company isn’t unique: many businesses set up Facebook pages when everyone was jumping on board to see what all the hype was about, and/or be part of the much-hyped “social networking revolution”. Yet they didn’t know what to do with those pages in the longer term, and now the pages languish, unattended, across Facebook. Of course, the same applies to other social networks.
To me, off the bat, the concepts of Facebook and an industrial component supply business didn’t really seem that complementary. And the more I thought about it, the more I found myself asking if the business of selling to industrial clients is suited to promotion or brand building via web-based social networks.
The Costs of Social Media
It seems hard for many who work in social media to believe, but social networking is not for everyone. It should be a conscious choice, not an obligation. Yes, your organization can get a free account on most social networks, but that is not a reason to use social media, nor does it mean that social networking is free.
Like any other branding and promotions tool, social media costs businesses in terms of strategy, execution, maintenance and review time. An ill-thought-out approach to social media can cost an organization valuable reputation and credibility, as well as precious promotional budget and team labor.
Step 1: Set a Social Media Strategy
In the case of the business I’m working with, there may be opportunities for promotion and engagement via social media channels, but they’re not particularly obvious or clear-cut. If this organization decides to use social networking tools, a well-researched, well-planned strategy will be needed to ensure the efforts stay on track and produce measurable outcomes that can be assessed with the rest of the promotional mix.
The fact that the business has a legacy Facebook page, visited mostly by its own staff, shouldn’t restrict or direct future strategy. There is no “best” social network for business. This organization’s strategy should depend on the company’s audiences and resources, and its ability to match these to social networking tools. But the business’s success will depend on its ability to implement that strategy and evolve it over time.
If an assessment of these considerations shows that the company doesn’t have the wherewithal to implement a social networking strategy now, I’d recommend they hold off. A review of the situation in six months’ time may well find them in a better position to make the most of social networking in a clear, strategic and successful way.
How important do you feel strategy is for businesses that want to use social media? What advice do you have for businesses that are inexperienced in this area?
Photo by stock.xchng user Patti
Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Social Media in the Enterprise
If your client doesn’t grasp this concept, show them the episode of The Office when Ryan tries to sell the team on social networks and … paper…
Great article.
Nice article. It just inspired me to check my facebook profile to see who I was a fan of and which groups I still belonged to. Over half of them haven’t been updated since 2008!
I think that Social Media is something that underpins every external part of business. I fear there is a temptation to establish a “social media department” and lump them with the responsibility to keeping everything going.
Simply not the case.
Area areas of the business must be fully engaged as they ultimately provide the content (whatever that may be) for the social media outlets.
Mark
Thanks for sharing this very substantial article. This is realy great!
Social media can definitely be a major driving force in a businesses success. However like you mentioned, it may not be for everyone and every network might not be the right fit for your business. Social media is successful when you take the time to understand your market and build a strategy, continually making adjustments along the way.
Great article.
Great information! Thanks for this! Though I am a social media professional I do agree that it is not for everyone. I think businesses are so anxious right now to jump on the bandwagon that they’re not evaluating their needs.
Having some type of strategy or plan is a MUST for any business that decides they are going to use Social Media. You shouldn’t get into social media just because that is what others are doing. You need to get into social media because you plan on reaching very specific goals. Increase traffic to your blog, increase your expertise, internal networking/collaboration, customer collaboration, etc….
There are so many different goals you can have with social media.
As a new business, you have to determine your goals, then work with someone who can help you determine strategies to reach your goals. Or take on the learning curve of what to do, Either way
And although every business may not have the ability to really use social media, individuals in the business can ALWAYS do so. Everyone is an expert in something and can share their expertise among the world and find others like them to expand their personal network who are willing to learn from them or share their thoughts.
Good reminders that social media shouldn’t be entered into lightly. I’ve just written about the nightmare Nestle is experiencing due to Greenpeace’s very successful use of social media – “When social media engagement turns into a nightmare”.
The question is not irrelevant. Yes you can leverage Facebook to promote your business and engage with partners and customers. not need to a business oriented social network. But … when it comes to SOX compliance and knowledge sharing outside of public content the consumer oriented social networks are a different animal. People within the boundaries of their jobs act and interact on different rules and their behavior is different.
Thanks for sharing this Georgina. Strategy is everything. Focusing on tools is a HUGE mistake. I always ask: Would you try and build a house without a plan?
As the webs modern communication tools impact relationships (which are the lifeblood of any business) it is imperative that this environment be approached strategically.
Often it’s great move for a business to first start with an internal social media initiative which will prepare them for an outward facing presence.
Social media is like quicksands: you must take good care of how you manage and how you streamline social networking http://blog.cyclope-series.com/2009/05/how-to-streamline-social-networking/