Peruse the media and listen to business peers and a hot topic today is the proliferation of social media. Is it useful or beneficial to business or simply a waste of time? Or, is its true value to be found somewhere in between? What follows in this and other articles is a sharing of views on the subject. It would appear that while social media isn’t for everyone, those savvy enough to make it work for them and their businesses have found another useful tool to complement those tools they’ve successfully put to work in the past.

Let’s begin with a rep dissenter who largely eschews the use of social media and instead relies on his own time-tested sales and marketing tools — “Personal visits and attending trade shows have become as rare as they are inefficient. As a result, I work mostly with e-mail and the telephone,” he says.

He cautions reps and others who are quick to jump on the latest bandwagon (i.e., social media) when he says, “Like buying the latest computer or software, it is often wise to watch these hi-tech breakthroughs (social media) with a bit of hesitation, letting the bugs be worked out before jumping in. I see LinkedIn as mainly a plea for help by execs looking for (better) jobs. Facebook is full of chat-nonsense and I don’t have time for it, even for family. Most of the trade magazines I see recommend social media for mass-merchandisers as a new way to be in contact with many current and future customers. For me, to do that takes way too much staff time for a small sales agency. It may look trendy, but so far it isn’t worth my time.”
If that’s a bit of a negative view of social media consider what another rep and a consultant think.

Bob Black, The Identity Group, Inc., Colleyville, Texas, writes this month’s editorial in the field and also was featured in Agency Sales magazine last month in an article that profiled the sales and marketing activities of his agency.

According to Black, “Obviously, the three most recognized are by far Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Facebook is used more for personal updates, posting sales promotions and general information. LinkedIn is a more professional version that leans more towards your business profile, job changes and personal recommendations. Twitter is a limited exchange of brief thoughts.

Consultant David Wallace notes that “While there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of social media sites, there are a handful that I see businesses using on a day-to-day basis. These include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even more recently Pinterest. Of course, if pushing video content, businesses may use video sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. StumbleUpon, Reddit and Tumblr are also popular sites for sharing content.”

If there’s such a variety of social media tools out there, is one of them potentially more valuable than another?

Wallace, co-founder and CEO of SearchRank, maintains, “It really depends upon the nature of the business. Every business can use Twitter in one way or another —sharing content, offering discounts and promotions, even providing customer service. Most businesses are on Facebook now as well, but one company might not benefit from the social media giant as much as another. For example, an online e-tailer selling high-end home furnishing and decor items might fare much better in building a community around their brand as opposed to a local welding company.

“If a business produces videos that are interesting, informative, humorous or would generally be of interest to any number of people, then YouTube becomes an essential channel to share that content on.”

He continues, “One of the newest players on the social media scene is Pinterest, which currently ranks as the 38th most-visited site on the Internet, at least according to Alexa. This social ‘pinboard’ site is, in fact, the fastest-growing site in history! However, it is not for everyone. Currently comprised of about 85 percent females, a bar code scanning company, for example, might not attract too much interest there. Home decor, beauty, fashion, recipes, clothing and the like, and a company can be golden.”

As for what works for him, Black explains, “For our business purpose, Facebook is generating more mass appeal and a direct following by creating fans. We’ve been fortunate to use our personal Facebook pages to drive interest in our business page. In listening to others, it appears that Pinterest is definitely gaining ground, and those that use Twitter really enjoy the interaction.”

End of Personal Relationships?

Independent manufacturers’ reps and their principals have long maintained that the person-to-person, across-the-desk-from-each-other relationships that reps establish are the foundation of the rep-customer relationship. The advent of social media begs the question: Is the personal relationship taking a backseat to those relationships that are established electronically?

Wallace believes the two approaches can work together. “I think it can work both ways and entirely depends upon the individual,” he says. “It’s true that there is a growing population of introverted people that prefer the ‘anonymous’ relationship social media can provide. Let’s face facts: How many people know very little about those who live around them in their own neighborhoods? They go out to their garages, get into their cars, go to work or play, pull back into their garages, and go back into their homes, all without ever physically engaging the community around them. For these types, social media can provide a comfortable atmosphere for a business relationship.

“That being said, I think there will always be people that want to pick up a phone and speak to a real person or have a face-to-face interaction. They hate e-mail and especially hate social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In light of this, I feel a business should cater to both venues — the face-to-face relationships as well as social media.”

Black counters with: “If you think about it, several years ago you may have hesitated to send an e-mail. Now it’s the most effective way to communicate. Unfortunately, with any non-verbal communication there is always the threat of it being misunderstood. The same situation can occur with Facebook if you’re not careful about what you post. If you’ve ever hit ‘Reply All’ when you actually intended to respond to just one person, you can appreciate the dangers of Facebook — it’s immediate and it’s open to all. I can’t image the personal relationship and face-to-face business will ever be eliminated, but the younger generation of buyers is becoming much more accustomed to using the latest technology.”

What to Communicate?

There has been a virtual wave of articles reporting mistakes or missteps that individuals and companies have made in their communications via social media. Both Wallace and Black have thoughts on the subject concerning what a company should communicate.

According to Wallace, “A business should try to put a personal face on the company but at the same time, remain professional. A company should think about offering value to those in their social media community. This might consist of publishing interesting and compelling content or offering specials on services and/or products.

“As far as what not to communicate via social media, the list could be extensive, but a few important items that come to mind would be things such as:

• Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.
• Don’t ignore disgruntled customers but try to settle disputes offline.
• If a large company, make sure there is a ‘social media policy’ in place and ensure that employees are aware of what they can and cannot do when representing the company.”

Black notes, “If you have any hesitation about the material you’re thinking of sending — don’t send it. Common sense and common courtesy should be followed at all times. Once you send it — it’s gone! If you have legitimate information that will benefit others from a business perspective then, most likely, that’s okay to send. Competitive information, comments about others and your personal opinion may not be the best thing to post as it’s bound to create controversy. Keep the material fun, factual and beneficial”

Avoiding Pitfalls

As with anything new, mistakes can and will be made. Both men share their thoughts regarding being aware of major pitfalls when considering the use of social media.

“The list of potential pitfalls could be extensive,” says Wallace, “but most important I feel would be to not allow one’s emotions to get the best of them. For example, consider a rep dealing with an angry customer. In these situations, it would be easy for the rep to ‘go off’ on the customer, especially if the customer is being rude and obnoxious. However, to maintain a professional demeanor is in the best interest of the company.

“Once again, a social media policy is a good practice for a company of any significant size, especially when numerous employees are interacting via social media on behalf of the company.”

Black concurs when he says, “Always consider your audience (everyone, because that’s who’s viewing it) and you won’t go wrong. Some reps seem to think Facebook is an e-blast and they can send as much information as they want as often as they want. Probably not a good idea. For the same reason people delete e-mails, they will most certainly block your friend status if you become a nuisance.”

Danger in Missing the Train

As with other new technologies or developments, some might view the business use of social media as the latest train that’s leaving the station. Then the questions are posed: If you fail to get on that train, are you doomed? Will you ever reach your destination?

Wallace maintains that those who choose not to consider social media “May still be able to reach those who favor the face-to-face or phone relationship, but may exclude those who favor the ‘online’ relationship. For example, I myself prefer to first e-mail a company when conducting business as opposed to more traditional means of contact such as picking up a telephone. And because the segment of people who prefer e-mail or social media is growing, I’d recommend manufacturers’ reps learn to adapt to change.”

Without questioning the wisdom of adapting or embracing change, Black adds, “I believe it’s wise to consider the words, ‘If you keep doing the same thing, you can expect the same result.’ If those results work for you, then keep at it. However, if those results can be improved, why not try something different (e.g., social media)? There will always be a younger generation with newer, more effective ways of conducting business, and if you don’t embrace the technology that’s available, you are on a path to extinction. Change happens for a reason and history has been a great indicator for what happens to those that don’t keep up.”

The Need for Outside Help

Can a rep (who is a self-employed, independent salesperson) get on board with social media himself, or does he need outside assistance from an expert/consultant? If he needs the latter, how does he find a true professional?

Wallace advises, “Anyone can set up a social media profile but may need professional assistance in learning how to go about building an audience and learning how to engage that audience. As far as obtaining that professional assistance, possibly a search for ‘social media consultants’ in their local area would suffice. Then be sure to conduct due diligence as you would with any other situation of hiring someone to perform a service or in making a purchase.”

Black, whose agency has done much of their social media work internally, maintains, “All an independent rep needs to become involved with social media is some extra time and a willingness to appreciate the opportunities it can provide. If you know someone who is proficient, ask them for a brief lesson; most people are happy to share their knowledge. In fact, much of what we’ve learned has come from listening to others, attending seminars and experimenting like crazy.”

Promoting Sites

Finally, both men weigh in with tips on how they believe a rep can professionally and effectively promote their social media sites.

Wallace explains, “The very first step would be to make sure the company’s website reflects their social media profiles. We are finally seeing more and more of this, where Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media icons appear in a prevalent place on the site, all of which link back to the company’s social media profiles. Additionally, the company should have some kind of content marketing strategy in place, that is a plan to produce quality content on a frequent basis, whether that be blog posts, white papers, videos, even infographics, and then push that content to their social media sites.

“To build followers, a company might hold contests and/or giveaways of which both existing and potential customers are enticed to follow or ‘like’ the company’s social media profiles in order to take advantage of the contests or giveaways. Also, following other social media users that have interests around your business or even joining groups that might somehow be related to the company’s business model would be beneficial. For example, a travel company that specializes in Disney theme park vacations might look to join ‘Disney related’ groups in social media communities.

“Finally, consider advertising on social media sites. Facebook, Twitter and others offer advertising opportunities that will allow the advertiser to target a specific audience, all with the goal of drawing attention to their social media profiles and ultimately, their business.”

Black advises sticking to it. “Perseverance is the key — you won’t have a long list of friends for quite some time. Experiment — what gets people interested in your posts? Ask questions, seek a response, feature a promotion that demands action. Show interest in others, recommend other sites that will be of interest, become an expert. But most of all — keep it fun! Keep in mind you are one click away from being deleted.

“Be patient — just because you click the POST button doesn’t mean it happens that second. I believe I posted the same information about five times because I didn’t think it was processing — so what do you do? Hit the button again, and again. Needless to say we got several comments — none of which applauded my intelligence.”