Wondering Out Loud

Is Social Media a waste of money

According to Gordon Beattie of Beattie Communications, social media is a waste of time and money for many companies.For those on a limited budget, and who doesn’t claim that to be a reality, Beattie suggests they are better off:

getting their websites to the top of the search engines or grabbing the headlines in the press and media is going to give them a much better return than a social media marketing campaign. The truth is that the majority of companies are wasting valuable manpower and financial resources on social media. I come at it from the standpoint – if it does not drive sales and build a brand, it’s not worth doing.

There’s a lot to unpack in here.

First, I agree that SEO needs to be a priority – regardless of budget. But what Beattie is ignoring is the important role social media can play in turbocharging PR efforts, especially for companies that have limited budgets. In my world, limited budget is shorthand for small company, and I know very few small companies that are capable of “grabbing the headlines.”

Limited-budget companies that employ good social media practices of listening, responding and creating solid original content, are not only building brand, they’re laying the foundation for future PR efforts by establishing their subject matter expertise and credibility. I have always had more success with media when working from a foundation we, the company, built, than by working the traditional pitch model.

To be sure, there are companies that are wasting time and money in social media, but that stems more from poor execution than from not belonging in the space. Done right, social media can work for most any company B2B or B2C, and for Beattie to dismiss it as being a waste is shortsighted.

September 21, 2011 - Posted by Mark Palony | Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media | Beattie Communications, Gordon Beattie, Internet Marketing