In 2013, Manta reported that more than 60 percent of U.S.-based small business owners saw no ROI from their social media activities. Three years later, the figure has not changed much, according to eMarketer.
Further, brands still lag behind when it comes to acknowledging customer queries. On Facebook, for example, 87 percent of messages receive no answers. Active pages responded to fewer than 4 in 10 messages during Q2 2015.
Things are even worse on Twitter. During that same quarter, the average question-response rate was at 28 percent!
You may find those numbers surprising, but I don’t. After working full time in the social media field for the last seven years, I have seen and heard pretty much everything.
For example: “This is my first book and I’m new to social media. But I want to sell hundreds of copies every week via Facebook. How can I achieve that in two weeks from today?”
Or: “I’ll offer a discount to customers in exchange for testimonials on my LinkedIn profile.”
Or: “My ideal customers? Not sure why you are asking this. My product is for everyone!”
Or: “My 18-year-old niece has a knack for finding awesome pictures of cats and babies. Plus, she is on Twitter and Facebook all day. So, she’ll do a great job with our social media accounts.”
A majority of business owners still don’t take social media seriously. Instead of trying to build a basic strategy that could take them a long way, they opt to cut corners or game the system. If the expected results don’t happen right away, they then give up.
“This social media thing doesn’t work,” they say. “Actually, it sucks!”
And yet, had they been a little more patient and spent more time researching great examples to emulate, their experience would have been totally different.
“It takes 20 years to make an overnight success,” said Eddie Cantor. The big shots of today started like you and me. They rose to the top because they believed in their ideas. They also banked on hard work, commitment, and patience.
You have a shoestring budget? Me too.
Your schedule is tight? Welcome to my world.
Don’t let lack of time and money dictate the path your business should take. And stop giving credence to those who flaunt their Klout Score or millions of Twitter followers at others to get attention.
“The Guru calls themselves a Guru because their own content isn’t interesting enough or original enough or inspiring enough for people to see them as a Guru. […] Don’t let the commoditization of expertise cloud your judgment when putting faith in a resource.
There are dedicated, inspiring individuals who’ve put in the time, who’ve done the work and deserve the title Guru. Celebrate their Expertise. Learn from them. Allow their thoughts to help you shape your thoughts so you too can Succeed Online!” – Ryan Hanley
Shortcuts are a myth. However, mediocrity is not.
You are responsible for your own success in social media. Period.
