Some Common Concerns About Social Media Marketing - Part II
This is the second part in a series of responses to a recent article I wrote on Technorati, Social Media Marketing: A Necessary Evil, which brought up several concerns about the use of social media marketing. (The first part can be found here.) Below are some of the ideas discussed in the article, the concerns, and responses to the concerns:
SMM is about marketing, not selling.
Concern: Is this an advantage or benefit?
Response: This point was made to manage people’s expectations of what social media marketing is. It is part of the process of selling, which is marketing. Marketing is really a set of activities undertaken to generate leads. The sales process converts those leads into customers. Marketing supports sales. Social media marketing is a marketing function, not a sales process.
Social media is a relationship building function, not a PPC program.
Concern: Is this an advantage?
Response: PPC programs are advertising programs that you pay for and that can be very effective. It is a more direct form of marketing. Again, this point was made to manage the expectations of those who use social media marketing. If they expect the results to be similar to PPC performance based online advertising, they will be disappointed. Social media is not PPC, it is about relationship building, reputation management, and sharing of ideas and knowledge. Relationships, two-way communications channels, and reputation management are becoming more and more important in the business world today. Therefore the importance of building relationships is paramount.
Social media marketing is cost-effective.
Concern: How cost-effective is SMM? Given general trends, is this effectiveness being diluted?
Response: SMM is definitely cost effective from a financial perspective because is usually doesn’t cost anything. However, from a time perspective, SMM does take a lot of time. It is for this reason that it is imperative for business owners to do their homework and be sure they are spending their time in the best social sites for their particular industry niche and their specific business needs.
Continued on the next page
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