In 2017, thousands of British businesses use social media as a cheap and effective lead generation tool. Indeed, for some businesses social media has replaced all other forms of advertising. There is simply no need to look elsewhere. However, at the other end of the spectrum are some businesses with a deep-rooted scepticism of social media. This is understandable in some ways, considering the length of time it has taken for social media to establish itself as a credible business tool.
Just a few years ago the jury was out about whether platforms such as Twitter and Facebook actually had any practical use for businesses. However, any advice that suggests that social media is a waste of time is now – at best – misguided. Here are two of the most persistent myths that, we hope, may soon be put to rest forever.
Results Can’t Be Measured
A common concern with social media marketing used to be that it was an unknown quantity. In other words, it was difficult to pin down conversions to specific tweets or Facebook updates. You therefore couldn’t tell what sort of ROI you were getting – or even if you were getting a return at all.
Fortunately, this is no longer applicable. All the main social media platforms have excellent inbuilt analytics platforms and are also compatible with major third-party analytics packages. So there is no shortage of data by which you can pin down your results, especially if you integrate your social media with your content marketing strategy. It is possible to see exactly how far your content goes on social media and which clicks result in which conversions.
You Can’t Make Sales On Social Media
When businesses first started using social media, some leapt onto the idea that it could be used as a means of cold calling prospects to make direct sales, a bit like phoning people at random out of the Yellow Pages. This has never been what social media has been about. Through adverts on Facebook and Twitter, social media can be used for direct sales, but this isn’t where it shines.
Social media works better as a networking and indirect marketing tool, in order to encourage inbound leads. This does bring new sales and increase your bottom line, but not in the way that was originally envisioned. If you focus on publishing valuable content on social media you will find that your profile increases and you start building a receptive audience, which can then be cultivated for sales through different channels.
Getting Involved With Social Media
It is very difficult, if not impossible, for any business to successfully engage in digital marketing without social media. Facebook and Twitter are very different platforms to what they were 10 years ago. Businesses that fail to understand this change are the ones who lose out to their competitors with a firmer understanding of the potential of social media.
A social media strategy will vary from business to business, so it is helpful to chat to a specialist about the right approach to take. At JDR we specialise in social media marketing as part of a holistic lead generation strategy designed to put your business in front of the decision-makers you need to reach.
For a free quote, or to chat with one of our specialists, please call us or send us a message today.
Image credit to StartBloggingOnline.com
