Comments on: Is Social Media Killing Your Business?

By: davidcarroll

davidcarroll — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:32:46 +0000

I really liked this post. Small business owners are so busy running their business that they must really be focused and have some good content to connect with their market and their customers. you have given some great advice to remember what pays the bills and venture out into social media very cautiously.

By: BrianneMarie

BrianneMarie — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:31:59 +0000

This is a great post and timely! I was in a meeting with a client yesterday and we were discussing adding social networking to his overall marketing strategy. He is an traditional sales person who strongly believes in the power of the face to face relationship which is why he is successful however it is also we were having a hard time generating "buy in" on the value of social networking.

Then I realized, he was looking at social networking as a replacement to traditional networking when really it acts as a value add to traditional business practices and I love how this post explains exactly that.

It is called a marketing mix for a reason and the integration of internet marketing and traditional relationship building is essential to any business.

By: Sachin

Sachin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:08:24 +0000

I do not totally agree with your statements. Social media is not about following orders or so. Social media is a choice. It depends on how the person uses it.

By: Sydney

Sydney — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:24:48 +0000

I completely understand what you are speaking of on this matter. It is easy to get caught up in working online and trying to find avenues to help gain more clients and business and you are right, it does keep a person very busy.

There is nothing like face-to-face contact with people or even contacting them by telephone. I am a firm believer in making regular contacts with prospective clients because a lot of times customers appreciate having that personal connection with small business owners. It can make them feel closer to the person which in turn creates good feelings and more of a chance to work more with the business owner.

By: ducttape

ducttape — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:03:19 +0000

whoa Mark, you must not be a regular reader of this blog – I may be quite possibly the world's leading advocate of social media for small business – Google terms like Facebook or Twitter for business and you'll find guides, webinars, and blog posts written by me going back to 2003 or so.

This is not a post bashing social media at all – this is a post bashing the way I see too many small businesses using it or misusing it, that's all. It may not have come off that way to you taken out of the larger context, but you won't find a bigger fan of social media for small business than me.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:57:56 +0000

John,

Sounds like more negativity from a traditional marketer. Come on, are you kidding. Instead of bashing social media you should be talking about the advantages. Marketers that don't "get" social media will be out of business.

Mark

By: Jason Docheff

Jason Docheff — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:37:02 +0000

Problem some of my clients have is that some feel that if they disconnect from facebook or twitter for even a small portion of the day, they risk missing that *big opportunity* that will come knocking, any minute now! Admittedly, I understand the sentiment, and have trouble sometimes myself with the discipline of 'pulling away'! Good article, and thanks!

Jason A. Docheff
Career, Resume, School Admissions Consulting
www.jasondocheff.com

By: ducttape

ducttape — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:01:17 +0000

Hey Carrie – thanks for adding an authorative nod to this conversation. What I love about what's happened with this post is that what started out as a warning of sorts to small biz folks turned into an affirmation for lots of folks that are doing it right and then people like you who are very visible in social media circles have come along and supported this idea as well. I think it's a great sign that small biz is ready to get serious about applying social media strategically to every aspect of business and not look to it as some sort of silver bullet.