Should You Be on Twitter and Facebook?
My name is Michael DeCarlo and I am addicted to Twitter. There, I admit. It blows my mind that a year ago this time, I had no idea what a tweet was or why I needed to do it.
I have a Twitter account for my work as a business consultant (@businessmike) and one for my personal training business (@maxpowernow). It’s allowed me to connect with others inside and outside of my local community, and I’ve gotten a number of leads and business opportunities from it.
However, I am not on Facebook. (Max Power has a fan page but it’s updated periodically by my team, who have their own personal accounts.) A lot of people in my various networking groups tell me I should be on Facebook but so far I’ve resisted.
But it’s free! And Facebook’s fastest growing demographics are the 35+ crowd! You’re missing out on key target markets! they tell me.
But it doesn’t work for me. I simply don’t have time for it. And as a small business owner and entrepreneur, time is
my most precious commodity. Yes, social media is a rapidly growing field. There’s a great deal of untapped opportunity there.
But it’s not the end-all be-all. Someday soon, a corporate Twitter account will probably be a must-have, like corporate Web sites are now. But you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that setting up an account with the social media flavor of the month will automatically increase your market share, generate leads, bring in sales, and solve all your problems.
Just like a Web site is only one component of your marketing, social media is only a tool. In order for it to pave the way for your success, you must know how to use it and be able to use it well. And you have to know if it’s even the proper tool to use in the first place.
Should you be on Twitter and Facebook? Only you can decide that for yourself and your business.
