Facebook has trained millions of people to show their Friends (and strangers) when they Like or are Angry about something. We are interacting socially the way Pavlov’s dog reacted to Kibbles.
Virtually every snap virtual judgement can be backed up with a compelling set of facts. On the internet, everything is true.
It can be confusing for a busy small business owner to know what exactly to make of all this. They understand that the internet is the most economical way to promote business.
However, owners are more comfortable with real world interactions over digital. Think of business deals struck on the golf course.
Because it’s essential to be where the eyeballs are, owners need to commit to at least one social media platform. It’s a good idea, and I recommend it to all my customers.
No Website?
Some owners may opt to only have a Facebook Business Page. No website. But think about customer service and Facebook. There isn’t any! If your Facebook Business Page is hacked or spoofed, there is no one to talk to.
I like the Facebook Page for a famous 60’s rock group. The admins of the page posted daily. The page had thousands of Likes. Then the page was hacked. The page managers abandoned the page and started a new Page. Since suffering this defeat, the new page is much less active. Garnering thousands of Likes takes time and great effort. I would call this a customer service failure.
Remember also that no Facebook Page has ever won a design award that no other Facebook Page has won. 😉
Organic Process
The ever upward trajectory of the web makes what worked yesterday seem terribly old hat today.
Every social media/website integration success I have seen has been an organic process, evolving over time.
There is no playbook with all the steps set out for you. You strive to maintain more hits than misses.
You can’t always get what you want
Sometimes the benefits are not what you thought you wanted, but they can be something you need. Say you have trepidation about committing to host a weekly BlogTalkRadio show. You may worry what the benefit will be for your career or business.
But, why not proceed with the assumption that it will be a lot of work, and be largely ignored?
You will have had experience managing a challenging app, scheduling content, and developing a persona.
All great skills for your next online steps.
Tom Stier is someone business owners in The Berkshires region of Massachusetts (and other regions) can talk to about their social media/website strategy.