​I Don’t Like Social Media. Why Do I Have To Use It For My Business?
This is the 5th article in this Questions Series of articles where I answer the most commonly asked questions I get from customers and workshop attendees. This article addresses the statement and question I often hear; “I Don’t Like Social Media. Why Do I Have To Use It For My Business? And the short answer is because IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!
The previous articles in this series, in case you’d like to take a look at them are:​
​
I Don’t Like Social Media
I know as you are reading this, if this is not your response then your immediate reaction to this probably has to do with the age of the person that said this. And it’s mostly true.. But, this is not the only “group” of people I get this reaction from. Often times, I work with people who ”love” Instagram or Facebook, but nothing else, as an example. Or solely use Snapchat.
When I do get this comment, it is largely from people that feel social media is either an invasion of privacy, or a waste of time… too much time in front of a screen rather than in front of and interacting with real people. And I agree, kind of. Social media can be a huge time suck.
Walking Away From A Super Bowl Ad
My reaction to people who do not want to use social media is to smile. Then I explain that ignoring social media, not using social media for business, is like walking away from an offer for a free super bowl commercial. “No thanks on a super bowl ad; I don’t watch football.”
Or, it is the same as if you are walking down the street, there is a crowd of people standing on the corner, pockets full of money looking for something to spend it on, and they shout out to you saying,’Hey, tell us what you sell. We have money and we want to spend it.” And you reply “not today. I am busy.”
It’s Not About You
But more importantly, it’s not about you. I don’t care about you and what you do or do not like to do. If you are in business, and I assume you are because you are reading this article, then it is about your customers, plain and simple. What do they like to do? If you want to grow your business, then you need to be where they are. This has never changed ever. And so, if they hang out on Twitter, or Pinterest, then you need to hang out on Pinterest and Twitter, end of story.
Do I Have To Post My Picture?
So, now that you get that you do need to be on social media, I have another problem to announce. On many social media platforms, you need to have a personal” profile before you can create your business page, and in order to use the platform at all. And you also should post your own personal headshot as part of your social media presence.
Can’t I Just Use My Logo?
Short answer is no. People still buy from people, and part of using social media is to establish a personal relationship with your clients, and potential clients. And so, people need to feel there is a real person behind the brand.
Another plus is that as you use the same headshot everywhere online; your website, your social media personal profiles, etc. people will begin to recognize you. When you go to networking events, they will recognize who you are. This is a good thing!
I am not saying you need to start using social media personally; you can still just only use it for business. Create your personal profile, and only use it for business. That is perfectly fine.
Bottom Line
Social media provides an inexpensive (and most of the time free) way for you to reach potential clients and tell them about your brand and expertise. These are people who you cannot easily reach any her way. So get over your personal bias and grow your business!
If you would like to chat more about using social media for business, please feel free to email me at info@AmpUrBiz.com and request free phone consult.
​
Tags: social media, headshot, online visibility, advertising, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat
Filed Under: Questions Series