There’s a marketing myth I’ve been working to bust for YEARS with my audience and it’s still a persistent misconception, so I’m going to have another go at it!
The myth is that social media marketing is EASY.
This myth is dangerous because so many small business owners centre their entire marketing plan around social media.
They will make one or two social media channels their main focus for content marketing and thus don’t have time for channels like email marketing or blogging.
The Reality of Social Media for Lead Generation
In reality, social media marketing is ridiculously challenging and requires a lot of time, expertise and dedication to make it work as a lead generator.
It appears easy because the tech barrier is relatively low and it’s free to use. It’s free because we, the users, are the product.
I get it - it’s the logical choice to set up a social media account when you start your business and think about how you’re going to reach your ideal clients.
Organic Reach vs. Paid Ads: The "Pay to Play" Trap
Anyone can set up a profile and start posting. But that’s where the easy part ends.
Growing an audience of BUYERS organically on social media is hard. That’s because social media is a ‘pay to play’ platform. If you don’t have budget for ads, you’re playing marketing roulette trying to get seen by potential clients.
Here’s another big reason why centering your content marketing on social media is a seriously flawed marketing strategy:
The people that follow you on social media aren’t that committed to you or your offers.
It’s very low commitment for someone to hit FOLLOW because they aren’t signing up for anything. They’re just hitting follow, which means they’ll see some of your content in their feed from time to time.
Email Marketing vs. Social Media: Which Offers Better ROI?
When someone in your audience gives you their email address along with their consent for you to send marketing emails to them - it’s a much bigger commitment.
It’s harder to get email subscribers than it is to get social media followers. BUT those subscribers are more COMMITTED to you. They’ve proactively opted in to hear from you and read your stuff.
That commitment means they are more likely to engage with your content and invest time, money and energy into you and your business. The ROI of email marketing is much higher than social media.
Building a Profitable Service Business Without Social Media
If I had the choice between the bragging rights of 10k Instagram followers vs 10k email subscribers - I’d choose the 10k email list every time. THE MONEY IS IN THE LIST! My relatively small email list is how I grew my business to 6-figures working part-time.
💡 Something to think about as you decide what to spend your precious time on when it comes to your marketing.