What would you think if I told you I didn’t have time to talk to my customers? Or if I told you that listening to my customers isn’t a high priority for me? You’d look at me like I was crazy, wouldn’t you?
But I hear that quite a bit from small business owners who don’t think they have time for social media. Worse, I hear “experts” telling their customers the same thing. I hear things like "You are not big enough to talk to your customers" or “Listening to your customers isn’t important because you sell services, not products” being passed off as advice.
Think of social media as a set of tools that facilitate online conversations. Conversations include listening as well as talking. People are talking about what you do. Even if they are not talking about you specifically, they are talking about their needs, likes, dislikes, and frustrations with what is going on in your industry. Would you benefit from listening to those conversations?
Participating in social media doesn’t have to be a time sinkhole. Without a strategy and a system, you can waste a lot of time on social media. You can also fritter away a lot of time mindlessly rearranging your bookshelves every day.
Used properly, social media can save you time. Online interactions don’t have to happen in real time. You don’t have to physically be in a location to connect with people. You can “hear” the conversation after it happens. You can batch and schedule your activities to be more effective with your time.
Social media isn’t a cure all by any means. Used properly, it can be a powerful tool for small business – for marketing and other functions as well. If you don’t have time to listen to your customers and prospects, there’s no better time than the present to get that fixed.
