Anyone in the social marketing field knows that it can be difficult to sell social media to service providers. Many business owners recognize the need for SM in selling goods while at the same time denying the need for it in the service industry. The reality is the service industry can benefit the most from engaging in and participating in the social media mediums. Studies have shown that word of mouth advertising is considered to be more reliable for consumers than traditional advertising. Other studies have shown an increase in company growth through just word of mouth advertising. Social media is the ultimate word of mouth advertising. Now people aren’t just telling their neighbors about a stellar job their landscaper did but their tweeting about and posting it on their Facebook pages for the world to see giving the landscaper an opportunity to gain new clients. This concept alone should be sending companies that offer services to seek social media specialist like the 49ers sought gold in the California Gold Rush of the 1800’s. But at last that is not the case.
So, the job is laid upon us to convince and explain that need for companies to embrace this new form of marketing. Here are a few ideas that might aid in swaying the stubborn old school business owners who still may not know how to use Facebook or Twitter.
1. “We don’t want people to be able to complain or talk bad about our company on our sites.”- Just because you aren’t engaging your customers does not mean they are not venting on-line. Provide them a place to word their disappointments and then turn that frown upside down. Companies that can address these angry customers can sometimes defuse the customer’s comments, earn back business or at the very least show new customers that they value the opinion of their clients and are willing to make changes, address complaints and in general go above and beyond for their customers. People value and appreciate efforts that are made to fix their “wrongs”- even if the company was right.
2. “The economy is too tight we can’t afford a social media expert on staff.”- We can’t deny that the economy is struggling and people are being laid off while business owners strive to stay above water. But and this is a big but, now is the time to invest in marketing. People are out of work which means they are spending more time on their home computers and watching TV to pass the time. Planting the seed and branding your company helps to gain customer loyalty so when they have money, your company might be the first they contact. Hiring a social media expert to consult for your company can be affordable and very helpful. Consultants can create plans that your employees who are on the verge of being laid off or losing hours could embrace and implement. Leaving you an opportunity to help your employees while increasing revenue.
3. “We don’t want our employee’s extra-circular activities to affect our brand.”- Of course you don’t, but having an online voice isn’t going to affect your brand. Educate clients about how social media platforms work. If you have an employee who is an exotic dancer at night that does not mean everyone who is a fan on your Facebook page is going to know. Start by writing a policy about social media and how employees should treat your sites. Have a meeting where you express the company’s goals. A social media expert can help you with these policies. There is a lot of legal jargon being passed around about employee and business rights when it comes to social media it won’t hurt to be a head of the game and develop a fair policy.
4. “I don’t want my employees spending all of their time on the internet instead of doing their work.”- The reality is anyone who has a desk job is probably already taking breaks to check their twitter feeds and personal emails. You can assign a staff to be responsible for the upkeep of your sites. Ideally the person should have at least one hour a day to post new content, respond to comments/ questions/ concerns and write new blog posts or do research to create new content. If that one hour of work turns into one customer then your employees work has paid for itself.
5. “Social media is overwhelming I don’t even know where to start.”- Any time you start something new you should always have patience. Deciding to go with Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, YouTube or any of the other hundreds of sources can be intimidating. Again a social media expert can help you or you can do research. Here is a trick pick a site and search for some of your customers, if you keep record. Find out where they are and that’s where you should be. Your customers are more likely to find you on sites they are already using. By the same token just because you found them does not give you the okay to solicit them, they have to come to you on their own.
6. “I have signed up with sites now what?”- Now the fun begins. Add content. Ideally you should be checking in and adding something every day. You want to engage your fans by asking them questions as well as educating and responding to them. Social media is about being a two way road. Don’t try and sell and push yourself on them. Encourage them to participate and be involved in their lives. You’re gaining loyalty here not selling them a used car.
Social media is a great platform for service related businesses. They key is to convince business owners that their investment will result in a profit for them. Addressing their concerns about negative impacts can help as well as discussing how embracing social media can create an expert status to potential customers should ease their fears. But like eating a new vegetable they have to give it a try before knowing whether they really hate it or not.
