OK, I get it. Small business owners are told to tweet, facebook & link in until they're blue in the face. However, in no way does any of this take the place of actual customer interaction - especially for a small business owner who runs a personal service business. Here's what I mean:
I contacted a company with whom I've done business before. I waited a week for a reply. I emailed them again. I waited a couple more days for a reply. While I'm waiting I see the business owner has been tweeting daily about all their great services which he's trying so hard to sell to his "followers." Hmmm...so, what gives?
Knowing that just 90% of emails get thru to the intended party (yes, that's a fact across all ISPs) I call & leave a message. I waited some more.
Done waiting, I called one of his competitors who has their priorities in the right order so they can actually make money vs. make profound statements online for the world to see. Within 48 hours my needs were taken care of.
Guess which company's bottom line benefitted? Guess who I'll give my hard-earned money to again?
Yes, social media is the new "sexy" marketing & yes for some companies it takes the place of personal contact (you don't really expect a personal call from, say, GM or Clorox do you?) but when you're running a small service business the ONLY priority you should have is prompt, courteous service. It's just basic marketing (but then, hey, why do basic when sexy is so enticing?) When you lose a customer you lose the long term LTV downstream revenue as well as a shot at referrals. And, you risk getting skewered on sites such as Yelp & yes, even twitter (ouch THAT hurts)! Luckily, I don't name names but many people do.
Bottom line? Prioritize your marketing efforts so that you take care of business before the birdie. He can wait, but your bank account can't.
