Last weekend I went into a restaurant that from the from second you walked in the door was engaging you on the social front. They wanted you to like them on Facebook, gave you things to say and even offered you a coupon if you mentioned them.
It occurred to me how many times in the last 6 months I was having conversations about Angie’s List, Craigslist, bloggers, etc. and how they single handledly effect the sales of organizations. I think the conversation is shifting from whether social and online strategies really work to are you or are you not leveraging this very powerful medium to grow your business.
The truth is that if you do not have a social media marketing strategy you are “Anti-Social” as a business. You are not joining a conversation already being had online about your business and therefore you are missing opportunities you could have to create new clients.
We were in Louisville and going through Pizza Restaurants and only going to the ones that were reviewed and rated online. This is no different than people using Angie’s List to select a contractor or asking on Facebook what is the best new restaurant to take your significant other. The conversation is happening and if you don’t respond to the people engaging or even let them know how to talk to you, your business is anti-social.
The best news about becoming a socially-engaged business is if you do a great job, that will come out. If you work at it you can effectively drive you own destiny and it is directly measurable compared to traditional mass media.
Now go be social.
