10 Reasons You Should NOT Be on Social Media

[Kyle Lacy]

I have been researching, reading, and listening for awhile now to the small business world in regards to social media and blogging. There are plenty of business owners and professionals in the world who accept social media as a new form of communications... and plenty who do not.

I decided to write a small guide for business owners to gauge whether or not they should be in social media.


10 Reasons You Should Not Be on Social Media As a Business


1. You would rather not change your business model of communication. You are content with direct mail and email marketing. You are right, they will be around in 5 years.

2. The only computer you have in your office is the black and green screen MAC.

3. You purchased a dial-up modem to "save money."

4. You are still struggling with the reply and forward functions in e-mail.

5.You are convinced that the only people using social media are college kids and pot smokers.

6.You feel that the newspaper is still a valuable form of advertising.

7. You designed your logo in powerpoint or publisher and all brochures were designed in the same programs.

8. When asked about time commitment you whine about an extra 30 mins a day to grow your business.

9.Your website was designed pre-2005 and has not been updated.

10. You find that building "trust" in a marketplace is a waste of time.

If you fit any of the following criteria... do me a favor and stay off social media.

Can you think of anymore?

[Adam Yale]

Wise words. You should follow your own recommendations.

[Matthew Wilson]

A good one would be, your company can't support expansion and prefers to work through references.
I work at a small company and this more readily evaluates why not. We use social media for many things besides our job place, but we don't have funds for expanding our work load... At least that's the angle it sounds from up top.

There are few... very few reasons not to use social networking for a workplace/group.. And I have met the people that fall under most of the 10 categories above

[Chris Tomlinson]

Even though you've probably left SI already, maybe you'll see this response. Maybe you won't... either way...

2. Location. Sorry for all those who only see the world as big city, but those businesses in rural areas have little to gain from social media. If they work with local businesses or consumers in their immediate area, the reality is that few of those other small rural businesses will be on social media either. It just hasn't grown to that extent (and probably won't).
I have to somewhat disagree. I too live in a very small town and do work with local businesses both in person and via social media. It (social media) certainly is not on the same level as a city, but it does allow for me to interact with fellow local business people beyond just chamber meetings and in passing.

I do believe social media will grow and include small towns, but the entire idea is still in it's infancy and will need to evolve more before it becomes as normal as email.

[PK Koduri]

Kyle - looks like you had a really bad night of sleep! The only criteria one should care about is this: (Rev - Cost)/Cost > 0 .I also like the irony that none of the platforms that are involved in social media actually turned a profit.

[PK Koduri]

It is more like common sense. I don't think Kyle's intent was to put down anyone - but it for Kyle to clarify. As far as I am concerned Marketing initiatives should be held to the same standards as capital projects - ROI. If someone tells me such and such cannot be measured they are just full of it and just plain lazy. Ignore ROI at your own peril. If a traditional ROI model does not work then develop one that works. Even the proponent of ROI and ROC had to start somewhere.

[Kyle Lacy]

First off, Chris, we are an education company and do note shamelessly promote people over social networks. Thanks for the comment though. And where did the "tear down those who decide not to use them" come from? We all need a little humor in life. This post is suppose to be guided toward the funnier side of running a business. It is called a sense of humor. It is funny to me that the majority of your time is spent on a social media platform. You have even sold your wares on this site... and yet you degrade it for the marketing potential.

Whether you have an ROI model or not it is still important for business owners to start to use and learn the tools that are exploding with growth. There is a big difference between social media sites turning a profit and the people actually using the sites. There are plenty of case studies of companies using social media for user generated marketing research, customer service development, and thought-leadership.

My company wouldn't be where we are today if it were not for social media. We have already doubled our revenue this year compared to what we did last year.

PK: I would love to sit down and brainstorm with you about how we develop such a model for ROI in social media. There needs to be something to put in place. PR and Advertising firms are going to be all over this platform in the next couple of years. It is up to us to think it up. :-)

[Kyle Lacy]

I can give you a direct point on why your sales are minimum. We get excellent quality business cards at www.gotprint.com and we can have them shipped within 1 week for $55/$1000. I can't find better quality at many of the printers here in Indianapolis other than Harding Poorman and Litho Press and they rarely run business cards.

I agree with you completely about the person aspect of social media. Unfortunately entire companies are made up of people. What are your employees saying on Smaller Indiana? Are they using the sites to enhance your brand image in the community? It is an important thing to consider. We have to consider it with 4 employees. So does Eli Lilly with thousands.

And just to be clear... a person who hasn't updated their site in 4 years shouldn't even start to use any of the social media platforms. It would be a waste of their time.

[Kyle Lacy]

Chris..
This is my last thought. There is huge problems for many corporations because of social media. This goes farther than social media "marketing." Internal communication in a company can be maximized with the use of social media. Oh yah and companies like Roche, Lilly, and Cook Medical better not be ignoring social media... because people are talking about them anyway.

Try the books the Whuffie Factor, What Would Google Do, and Groundswell. There are plenty of applications for social media use in any company other than marketing.

[Mike Seidle]

Kyle missed a spot on his top 10:

11. You should not use social media if you like to argue for the sake of arguing.

[Adam Yale]

Chris, In your own words, you shouldn't degrade others who may not see things the way you do. So don't degrade Kyle for not seeing things the way you do.

[Brian Morgan - Video Production]

Lordy - Lordy ... Kyle good points, Chris good points. I am sitting on the sidelines, you two are cracking me up. :)

[Brian Morgan - Video Production]

I finally found a good photo to make a point here...
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