How do the SMB & Mid Market handle Social Media?
I have been working with SMB & Mid Market companies for almost one and a half year and during this time, I have seen an increasing number of SMB & Mid Market companies gaining social media presence. Being present on the Social Media is not enough, you have to be visible you have to be able to spread proper content. In other words, SMB & Mid Market companies have not familiarized themselves with how much time and effort it takes to make the necessary changes to work the social media communication channels and make them work towards costumers and employees. Many jump in without any planning of forethought only to abandon their efforts after a short time, due to a perceived lack of response from their costumers and employees.
How should SMB & Mid Market handle Social Media?
To get started properly with Social media as a SMB & Mid Market company you have to have a strategy for your Social Media presence both externally and internally, which will contribute to your company. The SMB & Mid Market companies should as big enterprises have the Social Media as part of the overall marketing plan.
The reality is quite different; some SMB & Mid Market companies are not suited for the internet in general and Social Media specifically. Even if you as a SMB & Mid Market company are not suited for these changes, you have to adapt to the new situation, which Social Media create, because this is where your costumers are and how they want to collaborate and communicate with you. In other words, “it is not the strongest companies that survives, nor the ones with the most intelligence that survives. It is the companies that is the most adaptable to change that in the long run survives.” No doubt, it is a tough scene for SMB & Mid Market companies in the social media space, but that does not grant them the right to neglect not to pay any real attention to their presence on Social Media or even giving up on their efforts prematurely due to sheer ignorance. Social Media is here to stay, whatever happens on SMB & Mid Market. The change in communication from one-to-many over to many-to-many will continue and be even stronger as people want to listen to people and get input from likeminded instead from marketing programs. That is the main reason for SMB & Mid Market companies to maximize their Social media presence.
How present are SMB & Mid Market companies on Social Media?
According to surveys, most SMB companies claim to work with Social Media but when it comes to doing it and show the results of the work it is difficult to find good evidence and best practise for the use of social media in their market. Most SMB & Mid Market companies are looking for methods to spend as little money as possible on marketing and social media strategies. Not because they dislike marketing and social media strategies, but because they have experienced problems, integrating these strategies into their product/services selling. They have experienced it takes time creating a good social media entrance and that is not all, you can even get criticized by your costumers so why use time and effort on this new media.
Problems Experienced with Social Media – Among business owners who use/may use social media
- Used more time on social media than expected – 43% of the answers said they did so in 2010.
- Given people a chance to criticize your business on the interne – 29% of the answers said they experienced this in 2010.
- Hurt your image more than helped using Social Media – 1% of the answers have experienced this in 2010
Many SMB & Mid Market companies want to focus on how to sell their product and service to their market with the most targeted effort as possible. Most of these companies forget that it takes investment to expand your market and not just share optimism in Social Media. Optimism and good faith is not enough you have to go into action and start using social Media in your company. One could argue from a SMB & Mid Market perspective that one should stay away from Social Media and let the enterprise use time and energy on Social Media?
There is only one short answer to this and the answer is NO!
Of course you should work with social media even if you are SMB & Mid Market company, you should just start somewhere else in the Social Media framework[1]. Weather you are a SMB or an enterprise company it is important your start with Social Media where you can use your knowledge as a subject matter expert in your company to spread the company message to your costumers. Lets face the fact that SMB & Mid Market companies has to grow in the Social Media space to gain a share of the voice at their costumers, but they have to act not just being there as passive listeners they have to be active and use the Social Media as part of the marketing strategy. Just being on Social Media is not even half the battle – it is just the start of it. So despite all the obstacles SMB & Mid Market companies has a place on the Social Media arena and they should take part in using Social Media actively in their communication with their costumers.
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