I could have sworn that this was the appropriate title to the blog post I was reading yesterday. Let me explain.
I've been chatting plenty about social media this past year. Twitter, FaceBook, and beyond. On the flip-sde of the coin, I've been hearing others claim that social media is a waste, and does not work anymore. Here are a few of the "louder" arguments I've been reading lately from these "scary" articles:
- Too many spammers are using social networking platforms, so they don't work anymore
- You cannot build meaningful relationships online - No credibility
- It takes too much time
- It only takes 1 ill-advised post to spoil your reputation online
Some of you might hate me for this, but I'm going to have to disagree with all 4 of these claims. In fact, I've heard all of these claims before when other new technologies arose: Email for example, and then Blogging... Any of you hear the hub-bub raised when the first "spam" email was sent decades ago. along with all of the arguments as to why email could never be used for "commercial purposes?"
Yet consider this:
More than 94% of all email sent world-wide each day is SPAM... That's more htan 100 billion SPAM emails each day. Yet despite this, would you care to guess what the #1 highest ROI marketing platform is in the U.S.? That's right, it's email. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email returns on average more than $43.08 for every dollar spent. Email marketing along with Search Engine marketing were the only two areas that grew in usage despite the recession in 2008. (Radio, TV, print, mail, etc all shrank considerably)
So for those claiming social media such as Twitter and Facebook do not work because of all the spammers, I'd like to ask them to explain why email marketing is still the king in ROI despite decades of obnoxious SPAM that far exceeds anything found on a social network.
In fact, I find this type of thinking limiting. In my experience, the more people come to expect SPAM and sales solicitations, the easier my job becomes! For example, you as a real estate agent get sick and tired of the typical loan officer bugging you for referrals right?
You come to expect these calls and blow them off! I taught my loan officers to stop taking the same old approach as everyone else, and to instead, bring value first. Teach using seminars, tele-conferences, useful articles etc... Then, once you have them looking forward to your information, it's easier to come in and strike up a conversation.
It really is that simple. It's about managing expectations. And those who take this approach with social media will experience something similar, that once you prove you have more to bring to the table than just a sales pitch, you're welcome to join the group! If they're expecting SPAM, then disappoint them! Give useful information over and over and over again - Then you've earned the right to lightly sprinkle some marketing into the mix, and that's where the fun begins.
#2 - You cannot build meaningful relationships online
I had to do a double-take when I read this one. Huh? Do the people making this claim actually believe this? What about the fact that 1 in 8 couples who got married in 2008 met online? So you can cultivate a relationship to the point of marriage online, but you cannot build rapport on a business level? I have one website I suggest those who believe this claim take a look at study the history of: www.linkedin.com - 'Nough said...
#3 - It takes too much time
Again i almost fell over when I read this. So jumping into a car, and physically driving to a location to meet people one at a time is somehow quicker than a viral online campaign that can be seen by thousands? Done correctly, there is no comparison with the speed at which a viral social marketing campaign can grow.
Don't get me wrong, I do not view social networking as a replacement for good old fashioned networking. I believe both online and offline efforts need to be present. But I fail to see how an activity that can be leveraged with software that handles multiple websites at once can be considered as "taking too much time" when the offline equivelant these same people are singing the praises of take even more time. I am speechless... I am without speech! (100 points for the first one of you who comments on what show thislast phrase was taken from)
#4 It only takes 1 ill advised post to ruin your reputation online
Bad experiences spread fast! Bad experiences spread even faster online, no denying it! However, if we all stopped our marketing because we're worried about screwing up our own reputation, we'd all go broke! How many angry customers have you had in your lifetime of sales? Even the best of the best organizations have had endless "bad experiences" with their customers for one reason or another.
Whether it's justified or not, doesn't matter - What matters is you probably have people right this second who are not quite your biggest fan - And does this stop you from doing business? I enjoy shopping at Ultimate Electronics. Yet if I go to Google and try to dig up dirt on this company, I can find thundreds or even thousands of complaints online... So? This has done nothing to stop me from shopping there, as my experience is not in line with theirs.
If you're sharing useful nformation that is needed, and wanted by your target market, a few negative posts online will not kill your marketing efforts. This does not mean that I believe social networking is a marketing strategy that should be used by every single person of course. Just like any other marketing approach, an honest, critical anlysis should be performed first to ascertain if this would be right for you.
Make it a great week!
Chad Weber - Real Estate Marketing Lab - http://www.freerealestatemarketinglab.com
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