“Social Media is a waste of time.”

Too many of us still question the value of social media. It takes too much time, effort, manpower, etc. that you don’t have. You don’t use it in your personal life, so why would you for your business? It’s fleeting, a fad, and won’t be around long-term.

Most of those excuses simply are not true anymore. Certain social media platforms have engrained themselves in our society and have altered the way we interact with one another. For our purposes, they’ve changed the way customers behave. Customers now hunt for your value before you even know who they are. This sort of introductory research allows customers to be independent, selective, and to take their time before feeling any pressure to buy.

Your social media platforms act as a one-stop-shop for these customers. They contain a library of content you’ve produced over a significant period of time. They also show off your connections—to other local businesses, to previous customers…chances are your potential customers will find a referral source in there somewhere. Careful, diligent social media efforts offer credible visibility that costs you nothing but your time.

Would you rather spend a few thousand dollars on some plastic footballs to get “brand visibility” that is nearly impossible to track? Or, would you rather spend five minutes a day monitoring social media activity in which you can directly connect and track your customer’s activity?

For many businesses, the fear behind their social media reluctance isn’t just fear of failure but blame and accountability—both individual and collective.

— Jay Baer & Amber Naslund

Social media allows you to control the content, audience, and message. Although getting started may seem completely overwhelming, it helps to begin by narrowing down a strategy. This can be little more than an informal document to which you refer back—just get it down on the page.

Check back later this week for help getting started. We will break down the necessary steps to facilitate success, especially when you aren’t willing to devote a team of people to your efforts.

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