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Social Media Worship/You Don't Need It

Social media marketing, advertising, and growth

How does Your Business Benefit From Social Media?


  • Total voters
    19

PizzaOnTheRoof

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I was inspired to write this post because of the video above^

Perhaps Alex Becker has finally gotten some sense and will quit putting out bullsh*t content and get back to the REAL business advice because he is successful whether you believe it or not.

Anyway, on with the RANT!

I'm so sick of the Gary Vee's out there glorifying social media as if it's the end all be all of marketing a business. No Gary, A PLUMBER DOESN'T NEED F***ING INSTAGRAM!!!

He needs SALES, and CALLS, and REFERRALS.

He needs to be out there in the field, talking to customers, hiring contractors to grow his business, expanding into new markets, etc.

Not diddling his phone for 2 hours a day trying to reach his "audience".


That's literally all they talk about. "Everyone should be on social, it's the current state of the internet!"

Bullsh*t

Nothing against Gary Vee, but come on.....his entire personal brand is about advertising on social media and #HUSTLE. His business is social media.

Don't tell me that Bob the electrician should focus mainly on social because "That's what worked for Gary!"

As Becker says in the video, social media is now just an a$$ shaking contest which everyone is trying to twerk harder than the person next to them, all in an effort to scoop up some boneheaded kids to view their posts.

It all comes down to the good ol' 80/20 rule. Focus on the 20% that actually makes you money.

...and also cover your a$$. Say one wrong thing on social media and your income could suffer for it. Your business is the asset, not the marketing channel.

What are your thoughts?

"If everybody is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going exactly in the opposite direction." -Sam Walton
 
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Bearcorp

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Aren't there enough conversations on here about this? If you don't like what they have to say don't listen to them! How easy is that! Whinging on here doesn't change what they're doing and it doesn't get you any closer to your goals.
 

PizzaOnTheRoof

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Aren't there enough conversations on here about this? If you don't like what they have to say don't listen to them! How easy is that! Whinging on here doesn't change what they're doing and it doesn't get you any closer to your goals.
Same could be said for your comment...

That's why it's tagged RANT. There is no purpose.
 

amp0193

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Needs and wants.

If you sell a want, you better be on Instagram/Pinterest.

If you sell a need... adwords, referrals, direct marketing, etc. for leads.
 
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PizzaOnTheRoof

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Needs and wants.

If you sell a want, you better be on Instagram/Pinterest.

If you sell a need... adwords, referrals, direct marketing, etc. for leads.

I agree, though I’m targeting service businesses who sell needs, so I’m biased here.

You simply need to be where your customers are.

The rant came out of this blanket belief that all businesses should waste time on social.
 
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GuestUser4aMPs1

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Needs and wants.

If you sell a want, you better be on Instagram/Pinterest.

If you sell a need... adwords, referrals, direct marketing, etc. for leads.

I've thought about this a lot.

What about a business that possibly falls under both needs AND wants?
Where do you draw the line when utilizing either strategy?

I've been a big proponent of the arcade-style school of business
(pay $1 for ads, make $5, improve stats), and selling needs in a very direct way.

But I'm leaning more towards stuff like "branding," "culture," "top of mind awareness," and the other fluffy shit I used to not care about.

Can't say for certain if it makes much more of an improvement, but I wonder how much more sales a traditionally boring business rakes in if they have some sort of personality/brand behind what they're doing...

I mean, have you ever done business with someone because you LOVE not only their product/service, but you LOVE the way they do business too, or some other factor?

Sometimes I'll get attached to a sales rep that sold me. Or I buy from a company because I like their CEO, or how they do business is exceptional. Or I just like their social posts and it's the cherry on top.

Makes you think...

But I do agree with OP. Flooding social just because a guru told you to is misleading.
If social media is part of your strategy to get (or retain) customers, there has to be a good enough reason to start.
 
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Fotis

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Remember the definition of marketing:

Getting a great offer to the right audience, using the right media

Social media is media. If your audience spends a lot of time on Instagram, don't complain. Hop in there and dominate the competition.

As for Bob, you're half right. His audience is on social media, but if they need him, they will most probably search him via Google or something else.
 

Andy Black

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IMO we can only sell to wants.

If someone needs my solution but doesn’t know they need it, then I can’t sell to them.

If they know they need it but don’t want it, then I still can’t sell it to them.

I either sell to people who already want it, or make people want it enough to buy it.

Heck, people buy stuff every day they want but don’t need.
 

GSF

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it depends who your customer is and where theyre hanging out.

If youre selling funny cat t shirts, or the latest how to "make passive income using blah blah blah course" for millennial wantrepreneurs then your ideal customer is probably on social media.

If you're a plumber and your customers have a burst pipe pissing water everywhere they're probably franticly searching google business listings/ local business directorys/ your business card etc so they can call you.

Btw I hate gary vee, hate social media and have never used facebook. I created an account for no other reason than to use facebook ads, as a business owner I would rather hire someone to do social media for me. I value anonymity, am a bit of an introvert lol, and hate attention, so yeah social media isnt for me.

Also I think gurus like gary vee are nothing more than millennial wantrepreneur entertainment and temporary feel good motivation and ways for people to feel like they've been productive when really they haven't been.
 
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rollerskates

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Needs and wants.

If you sell a want, you better be on Instagram/Pinterest.

If you sell a need... adwords, referrals, direct marketing, etc. for leads.

That's exactly what I was thinking as I read the OP. I'm in a visually driven business, and Instagram is a must. On the other hand, when my AC/plumbing goes out, I'm googling on my phone.

And so what if Gary Vee's business is social media? He wrote a book on how to use it, which is a useful product, KWIM?
 

Xeon

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Can't say for certain if it makes much more of an improvement, but I wonder how much more sales a traditionally boring business rakes in if they have some sort of personality/brand behind what they're doing...
I mean, have you ever done business with someone because you LOVE not only their product/service, but you LOVE the way they do business too, or some other factor?

Big a$$ Fans sell boring industrial fans, these are the last sort of products that you would even think would need social media. But look at how fun their IG page is! Ever since I discovered them, the brand has been stuck in my mind so hard, I've been playing with the idea of buying their t-shirts with their logo to wear (even though I'm not a fan of industrial fans)....

Btw I hate gary vee....I think gurus like gary vee are nothing more than millennial wantrepreneur entertainment and temporary feel good motivation

Gary V always come off as irritating and to be honest, inauthentic (I trust my gut feeling).
He portrays himself as this alpha hot-blooded "always working 30 hours a day non-stop" type of guy. I don't believe any of these.
I guess introverts tend to find these sort of ultra-extroverts a turn-off.
 

LittleWolfie

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But look at how fun their IG page is! Ever since I discovered them, the brand has been stuck in my mind so hard, I've been playing with the idea of buying their t-shirts with their logo to wear (even though I'm not a fan of industrial fans)....
I wonder how their ROI on the t-shirt and Instagram advertising compares to say Google AdWords.

I wonder what marketing for ultra introverts would look like(presumably it would annoy extroverts)
 
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Brad S

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I was inspired to write this post because of the video above^

Perhaps Alex Becker has finally gotten some sense and will quit putting out bullsh*t content and get back to the REAL business advice because he is successful whether you believe it or not.

Anyway, on with the RANT!

I'm so sick of the Gary Vee's out there glorifying social media as if it's the end all be all of marketing a business. No Gary, A PLUMBER DOESN'T NEED F***ING INSTAGRAM!!!

He needs SALES, and CALLS, and REFERRALS.

He needs to be out there in the field, talking to customers, hiring contractors to grow his business, expanding into new markets, etc.

Not diddling his phone for 2 hours a day trying to reach his "audience".


That's literally all they talk about. "Everyone should be on social, it's the current state of the internet!"

Bullsh*t

Nothing against Gary Vee, but come on.....his entire personal brand is about advertising on social media and #HUSTLE. His business is social media.

Don't tell me that Bob the electrician should focus mainly on social because "That's what worked for Gary!"

As Becker says in the video, social media is now just an a$$ shaking contest which everyone is trying to twerk harder than the person next to them, all in an effort to scoop up some boneheaded kids to view their posts.

It all comes down to the good ol' 80/20 rule. Focus on the 20% that actually makes you money.

...and also cover your a$$. Say one wrong thing on social media and your income could suffer for it. Your business is the asset, not the marketing channel.

What are your thoughts?
You might want to check out this thread. .

Grant Cardone, Alex Becker, Gary Vaynerchuck

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

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