I have spent a lot of time discussing how to use social networking to grow your business, but it is important to know there are disadvantages of social networking as well.
Three Disadvantages of Social Networking:
1. A little less personal than face to face networking. Yes, there are steps you can take to remove those impersonal touches, but the reality is that you will never have the full personal touches that face to face networking have. Instead, you have to bring your own personality to the table, so when you are on social networking sites people get a good feel for who you are, and what you are about.
2. A little more timely. Keeping up with social networking can be a full-time job (or for any of my clients my job). You have to make sure that you respond to people in a reasonable time. That is not always 100% possible. This is why it is so crucial to be as timely as possible when dealing with people on social networking sites.
3. Can be discouraging. It takes time to build your business through social networking. The idea that you set up shop on Monday and be filled with orders on Friday, by and large, does not happen. Instead, you have to be persistent, and understand that there will be bumps in the road. Accept it, and then just keep connecting.
I always tell people that you never know who your next client will be, so start connecting with as many prospects on social networking as possible. Eventually, that discouragement will become hope as you see so many prospects come through your door.
There are many disadvantages to doing social networking. In the end, you have to be aware that using this strategy is like any other marketing strategy with pros and cons. There are good things about social networking and bad(See Social Networking Pros And Cons). Just be aware of the disadvantages of social networking before you start.
To overcome the disadvantages of social networking find out more about our social networking services.
Learn More At... Get a Copy of Your Writing Partner
Thanks for the timely reminder Andy. It can be frustrating as a small business because there’s usually no immediate payoff while other alligators are snapping at your feet. Set reasonable goals in 3 month time frames. Anything beyond that is silly in a small biz or startup cause things change too quickly. Have a presence, participate and reach out on occasion.
Mark
FatStax
I agree Mark, for small businesses it is hard to manage lots of social media, but there are many benefits that outweigh the negatives, stay ahead of your competitors you won’t compete with the big guys but you can certainly make an impact. Start small by interacting with like minded people in your industry, follow experts and communicate constructively and before you know it your network grows.
Just because it can sometimes be hard does not mean we need to give up! This is exactly why social networking is so important. Those who spend time on it will reap the long term benefits.
Hi Andy ~ I do agree, there are disadvantages to utilizing social media to build your business vs. traditional face-to-face, yet as you point out, if you take the time and true effort to really connect with people, you will be successful at building your business or brand online. 🙂 Christine
i do agree about your article about the disadvantages of social networking. the most important is that we must have a face-to-face relationship with other people, because we are social beings which means we must be with other people.
Aylwin,
We do need to be with others. Also, though interacting through skype or Facebook sometimes creates close bonds as well!
Andy
Hi Andy ! I,m participating in a debate competition nd i,m sure ur dis article is gonna help me. Thanks for dis article
Thank you very much!
Andy,
I think the main disadvantages of social networking is it’s impersonal. It’s a lukewarm interaction at best, second rate to in person interactions.
That is an interesting view of social networking as lukewarm. I always felt that I create very dynamic relationships through social networking.
social networking is good to keep in contact; i agree.
but i would love to keep in contact with miley cyrus which is impossible
It is not impossible unless you believe that to be the case.
thanks for making me aware of the disadvantages of social networking sites
Your welcome!
Social media is a very powerful marketing tool nowadays, its very essential to every business however if you are not careful you will look more like a spammer than a marketer.
As someone who is a human social media guinea pig I know exactly what you mean. There is a fine line between info and spam. The only challenge is that everyone’s line is at a different spot.
It certainly can be time consuming. I’ve found that with Twitter you really have to keep at it, tweeting and interacting a lot before you make any sort of impact and start to attract followers naturally. Because of this aspect I’d imagine a lot of people just give up before they start to reap the rewards.
Matt,
Absolutely! It is also a reason why I have so much business. No one wants to do this. I love it.
Andy