This is a good article from Carol Roth’s Business Unplugged, and written by Phil Gerbyshak, to help you decide if your company meeds to use social media. Below are excerpts from the article- please read the full article for more details.
[The author] actually come up with a little quiz for you to take to determine whether or not your business needs social media.
Rate these on a 1 – 5 scale, 1 being for absolutely and 5 being for no way.
1. My customers and prospects never ask me any questions
2. My customers live in an area with limited electricity and internet connectivity
3. My customers never talk to anyone about the things I sell or the services I provide
4. My business is booked solid for the next 10 years with signed contracts
5. I hate my customers, my staff, and the products and services I provide
6. My customers hate me, my employees, my products, and my services – but they would never share that with anyone
7. I want to go out of business in the next 24 months
Tally up your points.
27-35 – You need social media. More importantly, your business needs social media. NOW. Did I mention NOW? Get going. What are you waiting for?
20-26 – Your business needs social media. A lot. It’s like oxygen. Getcha some!
14-19 points – You could benefit from social media a lot, you probably just don’t know how to use it. Contact a professional today.
7-13 points – Sell your business and move to a new country where you don’t need to make money or see people.
0-6 points – You don’t know how to follow directions, as the lowest score was supposed to be 1, not 0.
There, that was easy. Like I said, your business doesn’t really need social media – if you don’t really want to be a business.
Now, let’s get serious. Social media can absolutely work for your business. But it’s going to take time. And a strategy. And ignoring the fact that you need social media is NOT a strategy.
Now that you’ve decided whether or not you need social media, how do you get started? We can help you. Contact us at info@parriottassociates.com
Great quiz!
I have to be honest; this “quiz” didn’t go over too well at my office. We’re a branding and design firm, and social media/SEO is part and parcel to what we provide our clients.
Social media isn’t for everyone. In fact, for many companies, it’s a time-waster. Having a LinkedIn profile and a Google+ account doesn’t save your business from more substantive issues, like poor branding or an unfocused message. Having a load of Facebook followers isn’t a cure-all for what ails your business; in fact, if your brand is weak, that following can become a negative.
As a professional writer, I understand and respect the value of using your blog as a marketing tool. As far as passing a shame and fear-based sales pitch off as an “informative and humorous quiz”… I’m not so sure.