Of all the marketing and communication tools that have grown in popularity in recent years, social media stands out above all others.  Businesses are now heavily using Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn to name a few.

So does that mean social media is the right choice for your business?

Well, not necessarily.

As mentioned, social media, is at its core, a communication tool.  Websites such as Twitter allow you to listen to what’s happening in your market and of course also allow you to connect with customers and key influencers.  Social media is obviously ideal for some markets – many consumer markets in particular can be reached very effectively using social media.

But as a marketing professional, I would not be doing my job properly if I made a sweeping statement like ‘all businesses should be using social media’.  Because frankly, not all should.

Social media, like any other communication tool, should be weighed up in relation to your business and your customers.

First things first: don’t believe [all] the hype

Social media has become a key part of many aspects of our lives.  But it’s not become a key part of all aspects of our lives.

When I want to read a good story, I don’t refer to Twitter, I pick up a book (or ebook reader). If I want to find a good local dog-sitter I ask local dog owners, I don’t search facebook.

The point is that though social media is valuable in many ways and for many people, it’s not valuable in all situations.  So whilst some might claim social media to be the obvious choice for all businesses, common sense tells us that this can’t be the case.

Here’s a quick example:  An established and successful author was interviewed regarding the advice he could give to aspiring writers. The author had an active presence on Twitter, so the interviewer asked if the author found Twitter a useful tool for connecting with his audience.  The author was dismissive, saying that only his publicist used his Twitter account and he would suggest other aspiring authors avoid social media as it can be a constant distraction from what’s really important: writing.

Before that interview took place, most would assume the author was using social media to reap rewards.  However, for him and his business, it’s actually a threat to his time and his focus.

Which leads me on to the next point…

Social media requires time and effort

As you will no doubt already know, building a business takes up your time from every angle – sales, suppliers, finances, staff, customer care – the list goes on.  And social media will add to that list.

Some might say that ‘not enough time to manage social media’ is a poor excuse not to get involved.  But the fact remains, there are other more important business activities that require your time, and if social media can’t be fitted into your routine properly, you risk making a half-hearted attempt which could be worse than no attempt at all.

Social media requires money

Ask yourself a question:  If social media websites charged for their use (let’s say £3000 per year) would you still use them?

If the answer is ‘no’, you might want to rethink the reasons why you are using/considering social media.

The truth is that ALL marketing activities cost money and social media is no different.

For example, if for every working day of the year (approx 260 days) an employee spends one hour using social media, that could translate to thousands of pounds invested in man hours every year.  Add to this the fact that there are only so many working hours in the day, and that time invested in social media could mean another marketing activity is therefore not conducted.

So, if ALL marketing costs money, and your money has a limit, does social media fit into your budget above your other marketing options?

Social media requires interaction

Whilst social media can certainly be a useful tool to listen to your market, at some point, you need to interact with people. You aren’t going to be part of the party if you don’t say anything.

This however, leads on to another problem: are there people to interact with?

In other words, social media requires interaction to be effective, but if your market does not use social media (or doesn’t use it to interact in your market place), then you might well find yourself using social media to talk to no one.

It’s a fundamental marketing question and it applies to social media as much as any other marketing activity: are you operating where your customers are? If not, move your focus.

Social media might not generate new customers

Depending on your market, (and B2B markets tend to be more typical of this), social media might never generate any clear new business opportunities.

That’s not to say that social media can’t work in a softer way to build your brand in your market place, but if your expectation is that customer enquiries will come directly via social media interaction, you could be disappointed.

If, rightly or wrongly, your objective for using social media is to generate enquiries, think very carefully whether your market is likely to use social media to enquire.

Please don’t be mislead into thinking that I am not a fan of social media.  I am.  But I am a greater fan of using the best marketing activities for any given situation, and that may or may not include social media.