Before we get into it, if you haven't read our blog Organic Social Media is Dead - What Now?! then we suggest you stop what you're doing and check that out now before we start to break things down a little further.
Let’s face it - if there was a surefire way to create socially engaging posts designed to elevate brand reach, increase brand traffic and go viral, we could all be living our dream lifestyles. The harsh reality is that most business, especially those within the B2B sector, are doomed to fail, or at least have little or no chance of taking over the social media landscape the way they envision.
While there are many benefits to using social media for your business, there are also a number of reasons as to why social media management may not necessarily be the best marketing and growth tool for your business. So to get to the point, here are some things to consider when it comes to your business's social media marketing efforts:
1. Social Media does NOT Guarantee Sales
At the end of the day, sales and income are always the bottom line when it comes to any business. If you are struggling and need to boost income, boost your sales. If you want to grow and scale your business, boost your sales. While one can argue that social media is a great platform from which to grow your business online presence and reach, it does not directly contribute towards sales (at least not in any directly measurale way). When it comes to social media, there is no way to measurably calculate ROI (Return on Investment) when it comes to Organic Social Media efforts. Unlike Paid Online Ads, Organic Social Media offers no way of tracking consumer action of those who haev engaged with your posts.
Think of it this way - you can employ a full-time social media manager R15 000 a month (Industry Standard) and grow your Facebook page by 1200 pages likes in a month, but this is nothing more than a vanity metric and does not guarantee any form of income for your business. This money, for example, could be better spent on Facebook Advertisements which are highly targeted and are capable of generating leads for your business that can be tracked and retargeted. Read our blog to find out more about the costs of organic vs. paid social reach.
Through online ads you can better calculate the cost per lead, allowing for you to measurably calculate ROI. So if you can’t guarantee your business sales, or calculate the returns on your investment into social media, you’re simply wasting your time with social media management. There are far better options to invest your money into that yield far better results such as Lead Generation. Not sure what lead generation is? Read our blog 5 Ways Lead Generation can help Scale and Grow your Business to 10X ROI in 2022.
2. TIME is Money
As the age old saying goes: time is money. So while Social Social Media Management isn't a total waste of time, unless you are putting the proper time and resources in it simply won't yield the results you are after. This process can be an extremely time-consuming activity. Part of a good marketing strategy is having a content marketing plan. The planning of what posts to put out along with the design, scheduling and actual posting of this material can be extremely time-consuming. Social Media marketers spend on average 2 and a half hours a day managing accounts, strategising and designing content - per account! So if you don’t have a minimum of 12 hours per week (plus R15 000 in your pocket) to effectively run and manage your social media efforts, perhaps you should consider alternative marketing options. If you're looking to understand the costs around digital marketing, read our blog on Digital Marketing Costs: Outsource vs In-source.
3. Your Customers KNOW what they WANT
Majority of your consumers already know what they want, they might not just be aware of your particular SOLUTION that solves their problem or pain point. With so many options available to choose from and so much information availiable at our fingertips, a lot of consumers nowadays need a little bit more information and educating before they make any purchase decisions. Some consumers are ready to buy right now, while others need a lot more convincing and assurance. This is where Sales Funnels come into play and, when properly set up, can greatly boost overall website traffic and sales. Not sure what a Sales Funnel is? Read our blog What is a Sales Funnel and Why your Business Needs One to Succeed in 2022.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. If you are looking for a particular product or service, you are most likely going to just submit a Google search for results in your designated area. While it’s great to have a good social media presence online for brand awareness purposes, it is purely aesthetic. Your customers live busy lives and do not have the time to scroll through your social media pages in search of a solution or information. According to studies, 61% of consumers begin their decision-making process through a search engine. Therefore, for many B2B companies, keeping up with SEO trends is a much more worthwhile investment (for more information read our blog What is SEO & Why you Need it to Succeed in 2022), as this will directly correlate to bumping your website higher and higher on search engine rankings. Read our blog to find out why organic marketing is dead & targeted paid advertising is the future.
So perhaps social media management isn’t quite the right solution for you and your business - and that’s okay! There are a number of new, disruptive, results-driven marketing avenues for you and your business to still explore, such as lead generation. Click the banner below to find out more information
on the power of lead generation for you and your business!
