This week I’m looking at:

“Can it save my business?”

No, yes, and that really depends.  

No, because it’s not likely that marketing or a lack thereof caused your business to be in the state it’s in. Social media is marketing. Social media is fresh, and it’s all the rage…it may present as a genuine second chance for some, but a business saver it’s not. If you’re ailing, it can help, if you’re failing, social media can likely only bring you some sympathy.

No, because if your business is on the brink, you don’t have the luxury of time on your side. Social media and the results that its effective use can bring take time. If your business is destined to survive whatever it is you’re going through, jumping into social media now will probably just distract you from more constructive use of your time and efforts.

No, because if you’re failing and you don’t already have a substantial online community to help spread your plea, it won’t generate the kind of attention and revenue you probably need urgently. Shouting a little late at a loud crowd might help, shouting loud at a late crowd (a community not yet built), well that’s just silly.

Yes, because if you are a new business, or are just preparing to launch, you are getting involved and will adopt onto a much more level playing field where marketing is concerned. I don’t mean that an engaged Twitter or Facebook presence puts you in a rank with the big dogs, far from it. However, if your business is relatively new, and social media is one way that you’ve chosen to market yourself, I think that you stand a better chance of survival than some others.  Those who are reluctant to move from more traditional marketing approach into social media do so with a certain reserve and skepticism that you won’t have to overcome.

It depends, because if you’ve done a great job at building a great community that will stand with you and help you with their efforts and voices, you might muster up enough business to see you into a better standing. If you have a great community and a business that’s suffering, social media can be a great rallying tool! Social media can provide a temporary solution to some very specific issues, and if other aspects of your ailing business are being addressed as well, it can certainly aid in the healing.

Add your two cents; click the image below to take the Poll!

My own answer, and the one I’m sticking to is “No”, social media cannot save your business. I certainly can’t be the definitive voice on this, and that’s why the Poll was created and there’s a comment section below. People do ask the question, it’d be great if when they found this post, YOUR voice was a part of the answer that they find!

Answer the Poll, and/or leave a comment. Thank you in advance.

See the first post in this series, “Can I get by without social media?”

The second post, “Is it really as easy as I’ve been led to believe?”