Scott Stratten @unmarketing put it best for those who are still wondering whether they should use social media or not. In the end, they have to decide for themselves?
Many businesses still have not decided on whether to use social media or not. How do I know? I still get asked by businesses whether they should use social media. Many are still in the valley of decision.
I saw this infographic on Google+ from Scott Stratten @unmarketing. He gave me permission to share this with you. Scott spells it out as simply as I have ever seen it put. I hope it will help you make a decision.
The question is: “Do you want to listen to and/or talk with your customers, market or colleagues?”
If you answer “Yes”, then use social media. If you answer “No”, then don’t use social media.
Scott further comments…”Either answer is acceptable; just be sure to ask the right question”. It really is that simple.
And if you are going to use social media, it cannot be used as a one way channel for your business to push out or broadcast content towards people. We are entering a time now where customers are pulling the content in that they want.
People are searching the Internet first before buying. Stats indicate that 85% of people and up are doing this. They are pulling content to themselves.
Social media is a two way process. It involves listening and talking. The listening usually comes first. It is worth noting that most social media applications, such as Facebook and Twitter, have the built in ability to hide or block your messages if you become annoying.
Let’s look at some stats that might help you decide one way or another. Over 77% of the population in North America is on the Internet. Stats also indicate that these people are spending 23% on their online time using social media. Of this last group, over 70% are on Facebook. Over 12% are on Twitter. This is a significant reason to say “Yes” to social media; actually hundreds of millions of reasons why.
Stats indicate that only 14% trust advertisements. Your efforts to push ads to customers is not being received today like it was years ago. Furthermore, 90% of people trust recommendations from people they know. Social media is like word of mouth that has been transformed into world of mouth. You can reach more people faster with social media. Who doesn’t want more word of mouth referrals?
But at the end of the day, we come right back to the question… ”Do you want to listen to and/or talk with your customers, market or colleagues?” You can choose “Yes” or “No”.
Remember that social media will be only one of your marketing tools. Keep using the other marketing tools that are bringing you business.
I want to thank Scott Stratten @unmarketing for allowing me to share this with you. It really gets right to the point of the issue of whether to use social media or not.
