I know Social Media is a big deal, but in “My Industry” no one uses Social Media.
Really (Jaw Slightly Dropped)? How about you, have you ever heard someone say that or something similar before? I’ll tell you this, whenever I hear a business leader tell me that Social Media isn’t for them, I cringe.
Just the other day I had a conversation that went similarly with my father who is a senior executive in the logistics and transportation business. In short, he said to me that his business (industry) is old-fashion. “Our customer aren’t on Facebook or Twitter.”
In that comment I realized what the real problem may be. Too many executives think Social Media is limited to Twitter and Facebook.
So I said to him, what about Yelp or LinkedIn?
Do your customers use the internet? Do they use vehicles to connect to suppliers, clients and employees? Are you so sure they don’t use Social Media? Or how about to check references or validate past performance? Any chance a potential client might want to check with their trusted network to make sure your company delivers at the level you are promising?
What about your company, could you benefit from a 2 minute video sharing your value proposition and your strategic differentiation? Wouldn’t it be nice if your current and prospective clients could easily gain access to such collateral?
Lots of questions here, however if you answered yes to any of them, then more or less your business is affected by social. You just may not have realized it before.
After all, 98% of businesses depend first and foremost on Word-of-Mouth for their new customer acquisition. What does your company’s social brand say about you ?
Rethinking Social Media and Why It Impacts All Businesses.
While Social Media proliferation isn’t yet 100%, among business executives 1 in 2 use three to five social media sites regularly with LinkedIn being the far and away favorite for professionals.
This means that chances are a healthy number of your clients, associates and supply chain partners are on at least one if not more of the various Social Media platforms.
What this also means is that while your industry may be a little old school or “Technology Delayed,” chances are your business will still be impacted by Social Media activities.
Where Social Media Is Pervasive And Valuable For All Businesses
Even if you think your customers are not shopping online or doing much business research, using the platforms to make connections with your clients and suppliers should still be a priority.
This opens the door to sharing important content with them and also keeping track of how your contacts relate to others that may be important to be in touch with.
Think back to what I said above about referrals? What is the chance one of your current clients has a working relationship with another potential client? In my experience a vast majority of new business has come from expanding current relationships and of course the coveted word-of-mouth opportunities that those current clients can drive your way.
Bottom line is this…
Social Media impacts every business. Whether it is further up the supply chain or down the line to those you serve, your business can benefit from aspects of a Social Strategy. As a business leader it is up to you and your team to figure out what that strategy is.
Is your business missing the point of Social Media? How can you better use Social Media Platforms to build, maintain and expand relationships?
Daniel Newman is the co-founder of V3*Broadsuite and is an experienced C-level executive, serving as a strategy consultant for small and mid-sized businesses. He’s also an insight/analyst partner to four Fortune 50 enterprises and previously served as the co-founder and CEO of EC3, a hosted IT and communications services provider. Prior to that, he served as the CEO of United Visual, Inc. in Chicago Illinois.
He is a widely published writer who contributes weekly to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post and industry publications such as Commercial Integrator, Sound & Communication and Corporate Tech Decisions. He’s also author of three best-selling business books including The New Rules of Customer Engagement, The Millennial CEO, and just recently Evolve: Marketing (^as we know it) is Doomed.
Daniel has established a reputation as a leading thinker in topics such as Social, Big Data, Cloud and Mobile. He has been named to many top influencer lists in all of these areas, including recognition by the Huffington Post as one of the 100 business and leadership accounts to follow on Twitter. He is also an adjunct professor of management at North Central College.
