subject: Social Media Isn't for Everyone [print this page] These days it seems like everyone is promoting their business on websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media outlets. Like most trends, this will come and go. Some people will have success with marketing on social media sites, but others will not.
Social media can be very time consuming. Most people these days don't have even time to get everything they need done during the day finished. Taking the time to market on a social media website can drain up to three hours a day from your already busy schedule. You have to get your product or service recognized by sending messages, posting and responding to others' posts, tweeting, videos, etc. You have to ask yourself if the time and effort you put into this is worth any business you might draw.
Those who are targeting teens or younger adults may find sites like Facebook valuable for marketing. Young people tend to spend a lot more time on the Internet and on social media sites, so if your product or service would be most attractive to teens or young adults, maybe social media will work for you.
But companies who mostly sell products or services to the older crowd will more than likely not reach their target market easily on social media sites. A lot of older people don't like to spend much time on the computer and don't particularly understand the draw of social media or how these sites even work. So consider your target market before making the decision to use one of these sites for advertising.
A lot of people who use social media websites don't want to sign in only to see a bunch of advertisements or other marketing ploys. Most users sign in to Facebook or Twitter to see what their friends and acquaintances are up to, update their status, maybe play a game or two, and then sign out. Nobody wants to be bombarded with messages or posts from a business. They will ignore them and block them when they become irritated.
Most importantly, don't underestimate your customers. Even if you hire a social media manager, a potential customer knows when they've been routed to some random ad based on a word they typed, and they know that it just takes a click to navigate away from the page.
Take the time to consider your target market. Think about the amount of time you would have to put into social media marketing in order to draw enough business to make it worth it. If it just doesn't seem like it would be a useful tool for you, don't do it.
