Earlier this week, I talked to a small business printing company who hired someone to help him use social media. “They said I needed a social media strategy and I agreed with him,” he remarked. “So what are they going to do for you?” I asked. He said, “They are going to help me set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account and teach me how to use it.”
I have seen this person’s web site. It was last designed in 2001. It doesn’t even display correctly in current browsers because it is so old. He needs to fix his situation online, without a doubt, but with him, I wouldn’t start with social media. Though his web site needs attention, I’m not sure I’d start there either.
Ponder this . . .
Printing is a traditional business. But it is an industry hit hard by the global marketplace. In yesterday’s world, these companies would invest thousands of dollars to print on high quality paper using only four colors. The cost to do 200 business cards would start at around $250.00 and go up from there. Today, you can order 200 full color business cards from Moo.com for around $70.00. Vistaprint will actually give you 250 business cards for free (they have a Vistaprint ad on the back and you pay for shipping only).
The local printing businesses are seeing their profits dwindle. The only way they can compete is to do business online. But I recommend that before you look for a social media strategy, have a business strategy.
What situation do you want to create for yourself and your family? Situations just don’t happen. They have to be planned for. When you first opened your business and first started seeing success, you probably thought you were lucky . . . or you thought you just persevered until things finally started happening for you.
Actually, I speculate what happened is that you finally earned enough trust that people started taking you seriously. Today, customers are finding companies they trust all over the world, and also at lower prices. How do you compete with that?
Why did you get in business in the first place? I speculate some of the answers on “how you can compete” may be found there. That’s just a beginning though. Here are some practical questions to ask yourself. Please spend some time with these questions, thinking and talking to people, before you let someone sell you a solution to another person’s problem instead of one of your own.
1. Assuming that you want your business to grow, what will you do next? If you don’t know, don’t suffer about it. Many small businesses are so busy they don’t give themselves time to think. That must change. Be at peace and know that everyone needs help. Talk to your colleagues, customers or hire someone that can help you figure out what to do next.
2. The low hanging fruit for growing a small business is to increase sales. How can you sell more? Again if you don’t know, dont suffer. Take action by talking to others. Be careful about doing what worked prior, especially if that entailed “working harder.” I speculate that will just make you tired. I further speculate, as a small business owner, that you are already tired.
3. Are you running as efficiently as possible? This may be even more difficult to spot. Business owners who have been doing the same thing for years are likely blind to how something can be done more efficiently without help. A sign of inefficiency is how “busy” you are. If you don’t have time to be a business owner (you’re too busy running around like your employees either are or aren’t) and you can’t afford to hire anyone to help you, you are most likely inefficient. You can’t afford to waste profits and still be in business a year from now.
The situation we find ourselves in is a REAL opportunity for small business to compete all over the world. But having a business strategy to plan for a better situation than you’re in now is completely different than a social media strategy. If there is no business to talk about in a year, that twitter profile and facebook page will look pretty useless.
If you don’t know where to turn, please contact me. I’ll talk with you for free about your situation and there will be NO pressure to buy anything.
