It’s the dawning of a new age. 32.4%* (or perhaps more) of the people  using the Internet are “social media experts”. They promise you riches  beyond your wild dreams, so long as you open a Twitter and Facebook  account.

(*Yes, I completely made that statistic up…much like many of those experts are making things up as they go along too!)

While I absolutely don’t dispute the positive influence social media can have on a business, I am  alarmed by some of the advice that flies by me and  countless others in the course of their day.

Let’s take this past Sunday as an example. As I lay in bed, I opened  up Twittelator on my iPhone. It’s what I do when I’m bored, feel like  seeing what people are up to or when I feel like making some silly  observance or remark.

Although the problem I speak of is ongoing, two things stood out on  this lazy Sunday that were particularly alarming.

#1 Myth: Email is a Dying Art

A friend tweets about what could be a useful guide on backing up  your Twitter account. But the marketing was misleading and one  statement stood out like a sore thumb (like a thumb that had been  bulldozed over and over, at least 436 times). The sales page said:

“Email is a dying art.”

I could make this a long-drawn out post, extolling the power of opt-in  email marketing (it’s direct, everyone has an email address and the effectiveness of a targeted opt-in list has not diminished in the last 8 years I’ve been using them)…but  let’s forget about that for a bit.

We all know (or we should know) that the best way to make more sales  is to sell to existing customers…instead of putting all our efforts into getting new ones.  When people purchase from you, you get an email address and that’s how  to keep in touch with them. It’s how you follow up…it’s how you sell  more.

Let me repeat – everyone has an email address, at least anyone who is going to make an order from you (i.e. YOUR customer). That’s why you ask for an email address when someone buys  from you. You can suggest they follow you on a social media site, but  Twitter, Facebook or X social media site will never become the  standard of communication. Email is a standard that runs across all  kinds of platforms, plus it offers:

• Private communication: It’s how your customers can ask questions and get support. And even if you use a ticket system, it’s still in conjunction with email. And yes, while some companies provide basic help to customers through Twitter and other platforms, detailed and private help comes directly through you.

• Privileged communication: Let’s face it, our customers should be treated in a privileged manner. They’ve shown they’re interested and that they are willing to spend money. You want to give them special offers, advanced access and other perks you don’t give to just anyone who becomes a Facebook fan. You can make a TON of cash, just by treating your customers better than everyone else.

• Direct communication of any length: No 140 character limits with email. Say what you want and how you want to say it…no extra clicks to the sale required. THAT is priceless.

• Continuous access: Not everyone checks email every day, but you can bet  that IN GENERAL the consistency with the average individual checks it is more consistent than with social media accounts. Of course, there are exceptions for those who live and breathe social media, but we’re talking about the general public here. And yes of course, you need to understand your own market to know what is best for you and for them.

We Heard This Dying Song & Dance Years Ago

All these email marketing is dead myths seem all too familiar.  Rewind about 4-6 years ago and people were saying it then. At that time,  they said RSS would obliterate email. But that never saw the light of  day, for many of the same reasons social media won’t replace email as  a marketing tool. Let’s look at the RSS thing:

i. Not everyone uses RSS or even knows what it is. Same issue with  social media today.

ii. As a business, you can’t directly market/sell as well through an RSS  feed. What you blog about and what you email about is not likely to be the same. Email allows for direct marketing and  selling…and you should take advantage of that. Today, social media lacks the same powerful direct marketing possibilities.

#2 Myth: Social Media Can (or Should) Be The Backbone of Your Business

Another friend posted a link to some guy who was looking for case  studies that would prove “social media cam be the backbone of a  business”. Nope, not a baby toe bone or even a little knee cap…a  full-on backbone! He said he felt businesses could run most of their  daily operations through social media. I assume (although his blog post didn’t clearly say), he meant that sales, support and customer relations could be run completely through social media.

Now I must admit, starting my business prior to this golden age of  tweeting, gives me a different perspective. I can empathize if it
feels like social media is a relatively easy way to get some bites for your business. I think it’s very valuable for that, but if you get stuck on social media as being the crux of your business, you put your business in the hands of other companies who have other agendas in mind.

So here’s my advice to you, if you are relying on social media to  build your business, make sure you have a core business plan in place to ensure proper growth and maturation of your business on your own terms. That is, if you don’t want to work like a slave and have a business  that grows and thrives over the long term.

You need mailing lists (including a highly-treasured CUSTOMER list), you need to focus on marketing methods that don’t have you sharing  this morning’s breakfast for hours on end. And most of all, your business is yours. It depends on you, your assets and skills…it  should not depend on the latest social startup.

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