Is social networking slowing down the pace of business?

[ChrisHeggem]

The biggest misconception by businesses is that they have to be social on all medias. That just isn't a scalable solution and does become a massive time suck. More often then not, only a few of the channels on the social Web even drive their business.

Outlining clear goals (lead gen, conversion, revenue, etc.) is a requirement for all the social channels. It isn't worth the time and effort to build and maintain a presence on channels that don't move the needle for your company.

[greenoak]

i dont think its slowing anything down in my world...im just part of lots of customers mornings !! hopefully....when they read my facebook post...but its still all about them coming to the store... reading about it is for in between visits...
i hear all about the customer care stuff in my world ...for sure....but i do keep in mind that its all about them and if they do come in and leave empty handed its not working no matter how many newsletters or media things i send..
we are still in business and i think it boils down to WHERES THE BEEF....when they get here and try us out WE DONT WANT TO DISSAPPOINT THEM WITH OUR REALITY...
.i do know our real fans , meaning loyal computer using customers, seem to enjoy our pictures and stories....they tell me that anyway....one emailed today and said shes been watching our website for years.and is going to be coming this summer....we must be on the same wavelength...
we are local so i do get to see my fans.... and im not trying for thousands of national fans...
if i weree spending hours and hours a week with no results i would think it was slowing me down...

[jamesray50]

There is a virtual forum I belong to and a member suggested that we "like" each others facebook pages. I thought it was a good idea. I thought other people would see my facebook page which would be good for business. Lots of other VA's started liking my page and in return I liked their page. I even got compliment on my page and some of my posts. I did this for a couple of weeks. This idea has really taken off, but I finally got to thinking it really wasn't benefiting me in any way. So what if a bunch of competitors liked my page. I am not going to get business from them. Yet I was taking time out of my day every day to visit every page to like, and sending them my link so that I could be liked in return. I have stopped doing it.

[greenoak]

i agree.....you could have some numbers but it wouldnt be real prospects....
that is a goal among the retail stores forums too...and why would i want my customers to see all their stores....and what could our store get out of being seen by far away stores.

[Blessed]

One thing I've seen in my local market is businesses trying to make it with only social media marketing - nothing traditional. The business owners have heard their competitors or other long-established business owners and managers talk about the slight boost that social media marketing has given their business and the new manager/owner thinks they can succeed with only social media marketing - and "it's so much cheaper!" than ads, postcards, brochures, a quality website or whatever other traditional marketing method you try to convince them to use. Then they wonder why only 50 people show up to their special sale that they advertised to everyone on their Facebook page - all 200 of them. This phenomenon does seem to "slow down" the pace of business - but it isn't the social networking that is the problem, it's the business owner who refuses to do anything else that is the problem.

[greenoak]

thats sad...he needs some customers to market to.....if he already has them then he can sign them up or try to...
..... they still need a useable website and an email list ...at least....
newspapers and snail mail and radio....they are falling back in importance around here ....

[dumsy22]

Networking has always been an important part of doing business. Businesses have always been looking to build relationships with people for a variety of reasons. One is that most people will sooner do business with someone they know than someone they don't know.Mailing lists and newsletters hardly started online. Marketers have been using both for years. The web just makes it easier to build a list and publish a newsletter.It's not social networking slowing down business. It's people using it incorrectly that's slowing down business. I also suspect that the question has been posed before with every new technological advance in communication.