As social media advisors, we’re often asked, “What is the ROI for online marketing?”
But we feel like that’s not the right question. Instead, we’d ask, “What is the opportunity lost by NOT doing online marketing?”
Think of it this way. A potential client is looking to buy your product and is looking for a company to buy it from. How do they look you up?
They certainly don’t check the phone book. Chances are they’ll do a quick search online or ask a friend. Or even more common in the Internet age, they’ll ask their friends ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
So even if your business gets recommended by a friend, how will the customer find you if you aren’t on social media? A Google search doesn’t bring up your Facebook page (or it brings up an older one that hasn’t been updated recently). It leaves the customer wondering if you are still in business.
Or, say they have asked for suggestions on their Facebook page, and their friend wants to recommend you. If you are on Facebook, they can tag your business page in their comment, making it easy for the potential customer to find you. But if you aren’t, all they can recommend is your business name and possibly a bit of info. And who knows if they have the exact name of your company, or your correct address?
And just like that, you’ve lost a potential sale. Because in their search to find your non-existent online profile, the customer has found someone else instead. Someone who has an updated Facebook page and is using Facebook advertising, so when the customer is searching for you, their ad pops up alongside.
Businesses across the country lose opportunities like this every day because they don’t believe in the power of social media marketing. Don’t be one of them. The social media revolution is real, and it’s changed the way we do business. If you need a hand getting started, we’d love to help.