New Media? I object, your Honour!

I had the pleasure of speaking at a private event a few weeks ago. The discussion centered on the use of Social Media in Traditional Businesses, and how to approach and work with Traditional Media. Today I just want to cover off the use of Social Media in Traditional Business. It was fascinating to hear objections about Social Media being more of a distraction than a useful tool to small businesses. Others claimed that Social Media was actually putting some small businesses at risk of going out of business. Both fair claims depending on your point of view – but also myopic, given the pace at which things are moving.

First, Social media, if not embraced appropriately can hinder businesses – undoubtedly. Twitter, Facebook, and other networks can be a major distraction in the workplace if policies aren’t in place. For small businesses owners, allowing sales teams to use these networks to make contact, or provide valuable information about the company, sales or products is essential in today’s world. Yes, it’s hard to monitor whether or not people are just “socializing” with friends and posting useless content unrelated to business. But instead of sitting quietly and angrily hoping that employees are doing the “right thing” – make sure they have guidelines and rules about how they are to use these networks in the workplace. As I said in an earlier post, setting clear policies from the start is essential in Social Media success and in risk mitigation. But the reality is this: businesses shouldn’t eliminate the power of Social Networks if they want to survive in today’s online world. If your target customer is amassing on Facebook, then get on it! If you don’t, your competitors will. Make Social Media a complementary part of your overall communications and marketing plan – you can do this methodically and carefully. You don’t have to boil the ocean! Social Media is a slow build for some industries – and it certainly can’t hurt your business if you go into it with your eyes wide open! But ok…ok…If your primary target customers are comprised of generation who are not Internet savvy, then I guess you can overlook the power of Social Media for now…. (afterthought: but what happens when those target customers disappear? Then what?)

Second, the claim that Social Media will put some businesses out of business – there may be some truth to that if businesses wish to hang onto the traditional approaches. Take the printing and publishing business. We still need paper-based products – but paper is not the only way to communicate information, right? In a world of abundant tools and techniques, the Internet provides a number of ways to help these traditional industries improve and enhance business – complement offerings for customers – direct email campaigns, with strong landing pages. People still sign up for email newsletters! Traditional industries need to open their minds to the possibilities. Look at the Traditional Media Industry – some of the closed-minded out there have been so focused on the way they’ve always done things, that they’re rapidly finding that they must embrace or be replaced! Look, I don’t want to hammer on the printing and publishing industry. I feel bad for anyone facing major losses in revenue and people. It is a horrible situation to be in. But it does require a paradigm shift for many – and this freight train ‘ain’t slowing down’.

At the end of the day, as I’ve always said (and many before me), Social Media is a form of communication. The Internet provides an opportunity to communicate better, faster and in a far more targeted fashion. Has it replaced some businesses? Of course! Will it continue to? Of course. But smart businesses will stop objecting and give it the old college try to make sure they stay alive.  Could it really hurt to try?