It seems as though you can never hear enough about the advantages of marketing through Social Media. Everybody is always ranting and raving about how awesome it is and how you can’t go wrong by starting a social media campaign for your business and I’m no exception to that. The sad truth though is that many businesses go about it all wrong and it can end up being more hurtful to your business than it is beneficial. Hopefully through this list of the cons of social media marketing you will have a better understanding of what to stay away from when marketing through social media.
One of the major cons of social media marketing is that bad reviews are out there for the world to see rather than perhaps just a private email in your inbox. And as many business owners know, no matter how hard you try you can’t please everybody. There is always going to be someone out there who is having a bad day and decides that they don’t like your product or service for whatever reason and they want everybody to know about it. The good news for trustworthy businesses is that these can be flipped into a good thing if it is gone about in the correct manner. If you simply address the customer’s needs politely, no matter how rude they may be, other customers will see that and appreciate the quality customer service and the patience that you show. If you are running a business that is untrustworthy and isn’t providing a quality service or product, social media marketing may not be for you anyhow. The flaws in your business will be exposed and there may not be any tu! rning back at that point.
Another disadvantage of social media marketing is how time consuming it can be. I always try to make sure my clients know that social media management is not for the impatient as starting a successful campaign from scratch is a difficult thing to do and at times can be very frustrating. From another point of view, business owners have a difficult time understanding that social media marketing is built for a long term ROI and not just for a quick buck. It requires a long term strategy with the end result being increased customer loyalty and sales. Ten times out of ten it’s the strategists who blast out promotion after promotion who fail and cut ties with social media marketing and chalk it up to “not being effective”, while the patient ones who are willing to put in the effort are the strategists/businesses that reap the rewards.
Like I’ve already mentioned, the hardest thing about being a social media manager is having the patience and also finding like minded business owners who are willing to wait for results. If they want to see quick profits, simply explain to them how your strategy is tried and proven. If they aren’t willing to listen then that is probably not somebody that you would want to work with anyhow. There is nothing worse than working for somebody who is constantly seeking quick profits in a long term marketing strategy. Before taking on any business as a client, be sure that they are mindful of the cons of social media marketing.
Brendan Vraibel is a full time Internet Marketer who makes a living selling info products online. To see his interview with one of the most successful online marketers ever, visit Passive eProfits. To find out more information about Brendan’s business, check out his internet marketing blog.
