Benefitting from social media

One of the reasons why many businesses are always at the tail end of the competition is their fear to embrace and adopt technology to help them drive more markets for their products or services.

I remember quite well when I was in the export sector some 15 years back and advised a number of local exporters to put up their own website so they would be able to showcase their wares online to their customers. And of course, that suggestion was met with cold shoulders saying “it’s expensive”, “we’re not ready for it,” and “unnecessary”. The words are still fresh in my memory when I was told by another exporter in vernacular that “Hinambog ra man na” (it’s a just a showoff.). Then two to three years later, they were all scrambling for the services of website developers because the early adopters were already reaping the benefits.

What snags many businesses today, especially here in Cebu, is the lack of foresight -- they are reactive than proactive especially when it comes to adopting newer technologies to help them grow in the midst of an increasingly difficult and narrowing market space. Adding to the chagrin is the fact that these technologies are right under their noses. We have a lot of local talents who can put these technologies up for them. And they are just within the neighborhood. You only need to look around and ask what they can do and you will be amazed by the sheer talent they have to help you with your business. 

But the reality that I am seeing now is quite different. Our local talents are serving mostly businesses outside our borders. For example, we have people who are pretty skilled and adept in search engine optimization (SEO) technology and other web marketing tools but those that benefit from them are companies in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and other affluent countries. These technologies would have very been useful to our local companies if they are only open to get to know and understand these tools.

While Cebu is miles away in the world of search engine marketing, global businesses are already in the era of social media marketing. Again, it is such a pity that I rarely notice the presence of local companies in social networks. Brands we ordinarily find on the shelves like Levis, Colgate, Nike, just to name a few are already on Facebook but scantily on local brands.

Social media is not only for the goliaths in the business – it is also for the small ones. If the giants need social media, the more it is needed for small companies. What makes social media different from the rest of the other campaigns is that, it levels the playing field for everyone. Social media makes no distinction whether you’re Nike or a shoe factory from Carcar. Social media allows you to use your creativity to tap your markets without having to spend a lot on traditional marketing like TV and print advertising.        

I attended recently Facebook’s webinar and it’s such a great thing to see how small companies have managed their way to grow big by just facebooking alone. An important lesson that I learned is that social media lets you identify and build your loyal customers. These loyal customers will be even there “to help you find other customers for you” that’s the power of Facebook.

One thing I also don’t want to miss emphasizing is that your website may not be enough for you anymore today. I am not saying that you should abandon your website. Your website will still remain as a window to your business. But when people do not know where to find you, it’s like printing beautiful brochures but nobody is reading them. But your brochure will be useful when you get into the crowd and distribute them. That’s why you need social media to let your customers know that “hey, I’m here!”

Those who know their way through these social networks will have the edge in terms of expanding their market reach. But it takes time and skill to know all these in a short time. But don’t fret. As I have said, there are dozens of social media experts in Cebu who do not only know the technology but can churn up an effective campaign for you in Facebook and in other social networks. You only need to look around. But if you’re just too lazy to look around, just shoot me an email and will send you some of my recommendations.

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