Social Media for a small business can be a bit daunting. Especially when you see the big guys setting up new Social Media departments or hiring a ‘Social Media Expert’ to handle their brand images and communications on social networks.
Small business owners are hesitant in using Social Media because of one main reason. Time. Which is understandable. But everyone has 24 hours in a day, right?
With that said, being a social business shouldn’t be the decider when it comes to transforming your business into a Digital Business. Why? Because they are two separate things.
Let’s start by defining both:
Social business
Implementing social technologies, strategies and processes to aid communication between internal and external needs of a business or organisation.
Digital business
Using digital technologies to help support the growth of your business.
In a way they both work together. But I would advise not to become a social business if you know you’re not going to commit to it 100%.
Becoming a digital business should minimise those, “Did you follow up with,” and those “I wrote his new number somewhere, one sec…” moments. And above all, moments when you know you have to do something but you can’t remember what.
These can be massively reduced by going digital. You can put in place new digital marketing strategies. For example, Google Ad words or a new website. And incorporate a CRM into the everyday running of your business which will store your data and allow you to develop an effective follow up system.
Anything that stops you using paper is good. I guess my point is that for you to have more time to become a social business you need to free up your time by using digital technologies to assist you in doing what you do best. Selling.
Well that’s my opinion anyway. What do you think? Can businesses survive just by being a social business? Can you think of any business that wouldn’t benefit from being digital?
(Image Courtesy of Zach Klein, Muffet, Remysharp)