Is social media right for you?

Everyone is doing it and you should too! Right? Honestly, social media isn’t a fit for everyone and there are visible signs that should alert you that you may be barking up the wrong tree. Let’s discuss 10 signs that your company shouldn’t use social media.

1. You haven’t explored social media yet.

While it is easy to immediately jump into Twitter or start a blog, you should spend some time exploring the communities. Lurk around and see what people are talking about. How can you make an impact? What can you add to the conversation? Are there people talking about what you want to talk about? Being eager is great, but be prepared before you jump.

2. You don’t have any time.

Everyone is busy, we get it. Social media isn’t a magic cure to all of your ROI needs. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes planning. It takes engagement. If you can’t sacrifice some amount of time daily towards social media, it will be very difficult to have a successfully social media strategy and an engaged community.

3. You are not in tune with your industry.

Once you get to the point where people are talking to you (this is a good thing!), you’ll eventually receive questions. It is fine to run interference and get the best answers from your resident expert, but you have to start absorbing that knowledge. If you can’t have an impromptu conversation with someone in an elevator about your industry, how can you develop a positive image in a community?

4. Your Twitter strategy is to repost blog entries.

Repurposing your content is extremely important and your blogs should be on Twitter. However, this is not a strategy. If all of your tweets are “New blog post: I’m doing this all wrong” or “New post: I don’t engage with my community” – you won’t pass the sniff test and people won’t engage with you.

5. You want immediate results.

What is the ROI of taking a client out to lunch? How many sales did you get from that round of golf with your client? Did revenue increase with the hire of your last employee? Are you even answering these questions? Analytics and measurement are extremely important. You need to have the correct KPIs (key performance indicators) to give you an idea of what is going on. At the same time, expecting to immediately see a return on social media is a bit foolish. In time, you can get there… but expecting to jump right in and sell stuff is not going to happen. Prove yourself, develop your community and add value – this will have an ROI.

6. You are not inquisitive.

Every person that I have ever met that is crushing it in social media has a natural curiosity and likes to learn new things. The idea of connecting with folks with similar interests throughout the world should be exciting. You can build new connections, form new relationships, and even connect with people that will become true friends. If this stresses you out or sounds boring… this probably isn’t for you.

7. You are not a people person.

I’m not saying you have to be an extrovert, but as mentioned above, you should want to connect with others. In order to build a community, you need to connect with people on a personal level. This is extremely evident at social media conferences and events. There is usually a correlation between the folks with large, supportive networks and the people who can carry on a conversation with someone they don’t know.

8. You don’t have management support.

In my opinion, skepticism is okay. This can give you an opportunity to get in there, figure it out, crush it, and make something positive happen. It is a story that is easy to tell and visualize. However, if management is not supportive… this makes it difficult to overcome. A pat on the back isn’t required to make social media work, but there should be an acceptance of trying something new… even if there is an initial lack of full understanding.

9. You don’t have clear goals.

What are you using social media to accomplish? How is social media helping you reach your milestones? How is social media related to your main corporate goals? Do you even have a strategy including social media? I’ll go back to the five Ps: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Plan how you can use social media to reach your goals (and hopefully better and faster).

10. You don’t ask questions.

The fastest way to learn about social media is to ask. Everyone is trying to make their impact on the world and show their expertise. Many of these people are honest, nice and helpful folks. Ask questions. Share your plan with a few influencers you trust. Get a friend to introduce you to someone who “knows social media” and brainstorm. Don’t assume that you have to figure it all out yourself. Reach out and get some feedback.

Don’t be afraid to get started!

Spend some time using social media outlets personally and find what you like and dislike. Not every network will work for you or your business, but there is no reason not to get out there and explore!

Note: @schneidermike pointed out that “you” is referred to as your brand and culture… not necessarily you as an individual. I missed spelling that out. :) Thanks Mike!

Photo credit to melodi2

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