Social media is very big these days.  LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other cyber-age creations are changing the face of marketing.  At least that's the conventional wisdom.  But is that true ... and, more importantly, is it true for you in your business?

If you're a small business owner, like the "solopreneurs" we work with, how big a deal is this new-fangled way of networking with people and how far can it take you?  Is it some sort of holy grail ... or just another tool?  Can it bring in new people who don't know you all by itself ... or does it work best as one facet of a larger plan?

Let me cut to the chase here.  I think social media can be a valuable part of your marketing plan, but Denise and I are seeing a whole lot of people who think they can build their businesses essentially from scratch by using social media as their primary marketing tool.

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I need to speak clearly.

That's not a good plan. 

How do I know that?  Is it just an opinion or do I have some basis for making such a bold and unequivocal statement?

Well, let me put it this way.  What we've observed in talking and working with hundreds of business owners is that the people who are relying on the use of social media as their primary marketing strategy typically don't have the amount of business they want and are struggling to make it. 

We wish it weren't so.  We wish this were, in fact, a holy grail that would almost effortlessly bring in a stream of clients or patients, but the proof is in the pudding.  It doesn't.

Why not?

The use of social media doesn't work well as a primary strategy because it isn't personal enough and it isn't active enough.  What I would call active is any marketing strategy that gives prospective clients or patients a first-hand, up-close-and-personal experience of you.

What I'm talking about is speaking to groups or teaching classes, doing targeted networking in person, developing strategic alliances with other business owners, associations, etc.  Your marketing is active if you're getting out in the world and putting yourself face to face with prospective clients and patients ... and referral sources ... so that they have an experience of you.  They can check you out and get a feel for who you are, assess your level of expertise, make judgments about your credibility and decide how comfortable they'd feel about working with you.  

They can see if they like you. 

This personal connection is extremely important for service-based business owners, because people buy from folks they know, like, trust, and respect.  And it's far easier to impress someone favorably in person than it is electronically. 

The bottom line is that the personal connection just isn't as strong with social media.  I'm not saying you can't build a business using it.  It can be done.  If you optimize social media to the fullest, by doing things like getting active in groups on LinkedIn or posting and answering questions in the Q&A section, there's no doubt you can become known as an expert in a particular field, develop relationships, and ultimately get business.  But it takes longer and requires more of your time to develop those relationships via social media.

And, if you're a new business owner and not yet known, it's even harder for social media to have an immediate impact on your business.  There are so many experts in all fields who are already branded and well known ... and actively expanding awareness of themselves through social media. You'd have a lot of catching up to do and, quite frankly, it's darn near impossible to compete with a well-known person in your field if your prospects have never even heard of you or had an experience of you.

It's a kind of Catch-22.  It's hard to drive high-quality prospects to your Facebook site, get them to sign up for your Twitter feeds, or "link" up with you if you aren't already known and lack the reputation and presence that would make people want to connect with you in the first place.

Where social media fits best is as a follow up strategy. You speak to a group of folks and invite them to follow your blog, or you meet someone at a networking event and link up with them on LinkedIn. This is where the real power of social media lies for the new business owner.  It's a really great follow-up strategy, a place where people can get to know you better ... what you can do and what you are doing ... after you've already met in person. It's a great tool for announcing special events and offers, for example.  But that's going to work best for folks who are already established.

So, go ahead and get involved with social media if you like.  Just be sure to start with an active marketing strategy or two and use social media as a way to expand and support your active marketing.

Best Regards,

Barbara