Funny comparisons that need to be read a couple of times and think about them. – WD0AJG
Meet Bob. Bob might be considered equivalent to the strategic design behind, and the effective level of marketing across your social media profiles. Let’s take Bob off the internet and put him in your restaurant to see how accurately he reflects your online presence and your overall performance.
You don’t view social media as an extension of your customer service; instead you look at it simply as medium for advertising.
- [Bob at the door. No greeting, smile, conversation or introduction.] “Our specials today are our leftovers from yesterday (actually Easter). Let’s just say we’re now called The World of Ham!”
You jumped into social media without any research (because everyone else was doing it.) You have no idea who your customers are, what social medium(s) they use, how to connect with them, or how to target new potential customers. Your strategy is to follow the lead of the big boys.
- [Bob at the table. He does not look up, only at the pad in front of him.] We now have $5 all you can eat subs; a $3.99 make your own burger bar; McWaffles for $.09; and a Homerun Hit menu for the kids for just $9.99.”
Your strategy is “Tweet and they will come.”
- [Bob with a bull horn on the side of the road… in a residential neighborhood… at 3 AM. The social media police show up, tell him he’s doing it wrong and begin beating him with their truncheons.]
You don’t advertise the fact that you even have social media outlets (in print, radio ads, on your website, or via connecting/integrating with business listing sites.)
- [See Bob inside the restaurant; in a body bag, duct-taped to the floor trying to relay what a “great” place you have.]
You don’t listen, even when fans ask you to post more info on your social media sites.
- [Bob at the table (nonstop, echoing in an empty room): “Our place is great! Tomorrow we’ve got a balloon guy; Thursday its Tom’s Mystery Meat Roll Day (if you can guess it, it’s FREE); then it’s Fun for the Family Fridays where we throw your mom in the kitchen for that burnt food retro feel, etc….”] (See customer…leaving.)
Your social media “guru” knows nothing about the restaurant biz in general and even less about your business specifically.
- [See Bob boasting in the service area. “Sure I know all about petro chemical engineering. I sold tires for 2 months at The Rubber House before I got kicked out of my dad’s Liberal Arts College.”]
You tried that social media thing for a month and it didn’t work, so you quit.
- [See Bob waving sadly to the hot new waitress Vanessa who quit because she didn’t make $300 on her first full day on the floor.]
You’re not involved locally, in anything. You literally have to earn every page view, tweet, fan and dollar the hard way.
- [See Bob pushing the local Girl Scouts out the door because he’s afraid they might steal the hearts (and tips) of the cheap bastards that still patronize this place.]
You’re not tracking keywords relative to your business, your hometown, your competition, or your industry.
- [See Bob back in his body bag.]
You think “social media” equals Facebook.
- [See Bob, on his mobile phone, surfing the internet, texting and looking for a new job. He would like to be a better Bob but you’ve tied his hands.]
How do you think we can make a better Social Media Bob?
The Practical Cafe is a mobile media and social media agency which aids small businesses in the development, management and optimization of social media outlets for maximum exposure and profitability. You can visit the Practical Cafe at http://thepracticalcafe.com
Author: James Guertin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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