Social Media Skeptics

I still find it funny that there are people out there in the marketing world who just don’t understand the purpose of social marketing and how it can really benefit a business or organization. Just the other day I was at a meeting where I explained our launch strategy into the social media aspect of the campaign, and about 95 percent of the people in the room began to talk about how they “don’t understand the hype of social and why it’s so vital to spend time on this ‘resource.’”

Well let me tell you something, social media is just getting started and it’s here to stay. I explained the importance of strategizing and why some businesses fail and others prevail in social marketing…they still didn’t seem convinced.

These particular social media skeptics are event planners and organizers who are being greatly affected by the economy, forced to make lay-offs and have very little funding for advertising or paying for events.  Their organizations are the ones that would flourish with the help of social marketing.

I continued to explain about the engagement of fans and followers and that if a business is really “doing it right” more than a few hours, daily should be dedicated to social outreach.  It isn’t as simple as posting a comment and then walking away. There is tracking, researching what people are saying about your organization and then creating conversations with them, posting and uploading video and photos, engaging your audience by not just telling them what your mission is, but showing them.

As the meeting continued on and into different items, it was circled back around to social marketing by one of the skeptics, which led me right through the open door to explain how social media would play a crucial role in an event like the one that was being explained. 

I think it was right then, that the 95 percent of skeptics in the room went to about 5 percent. This is a FREE outlet to reach a wide variety of audiences…USE it people, learn it and embrace it!