Social Media: 5 Things I Hope I Never Hear From Prospective Customers Again

It’s funny what people ask, and sometimes offer, a service-based business. I’ve made it a goal to educate our clients and prospects on the reality of social media marketing for business – and this post is no exception.  Here are five things I hope to never hear from prospective customers again!

Can I pay you for your services after I start getting some clients from social media? Sure! Let me guarantee that you’ll acquire clients from using our service, because it’s certain I will expend the same amount of resources as my paying clients in hopes it will work for both of us. Unfortunately, that’s not how our company works, and if acquiring new clients is the single social media goal, our company would not be a good fit.  I wonder if these folks ask a landlord if they can start paying rent once people start buying their product or service.

What can you do for me with $100 a month? This reminds me of the days I used to work at the pool concession stand in high school. Kids would come to the counter – soaking wet, tired, and hungry – slap a nickel on the counter and ask me what they can get for five cents. I am just as honest in my response to this question now, as I was twenty years ago, when I reply and say, “Not much.”

Can’t I use my Facebook page as my website? I cannot take the time to explain why this the wrong question.  It would waste time for you and for me.  In short, one must ultimately own the space they plan to use to market themselves. There is no other way to guarantee control of the content.

What’s the fastest way to get to a million fans? Go to a company that offers that type of service. This question lacks focus. Why is it significant a business acquire one million fans? It’s less important to ask how fast a business can acquire a following and more important to ask how a business can engage fans to fulfill specific goals (i.e. improved customer service, increased interest in a product or service or greater customer loyalty)?

How do I get on the first page of Google? Hire an SEO agency. The advantages of hiring an SEO agency means that they’re able to expertly optimize on-page elements including page meta-titles, meta-descriptions, internal site-links, and keyword density with strategies that are proven to work over time. When done properly these results can help boost organic performance slowly but surely – and they often involve keyword research and content editing that can be time intensive and resource consuming for most business owners. While social media is part of Google’s algorithm, I cannot guarantee a specific Google ranking, from using social media. In fact, a company would be hard-pressed to find someone who can guarantee this offering – organically – especially in a competitive industry such as real estate or in a populated city such as New York.

It’s challenging to justify cost in a service-based business, primarily because fees are relevant to expertise, results and the level of service offered. The deliverables, although tangible to us, are not as easy to scale in comparison to a product-based business. I understand that people are trying to save a buck, but I cannot cut corners with the expectation that the outcome will be optimal.