I am always preaching the value of social media for businesses. In fact, it's kind of become a life mission to educate business owners on the true power of social media. But for all the great things that social media does, I think it's important to clarify that social media cannot replace traditional business roles.

Social media can enhance and support business practices and departments, but it cannot replace them.

As social media becomes more engrained in our every day business, it's quickly becoming a function of many different departments. Let's look at how social media can benefit each department, but also look at how these departments cannot be replaced by social media.

Marketing

Social media has essentially been associated with marketing departments since its early adoption into business. And, abso-freaking-lutely, social media is a strong way to enhance your marketing. If it wasn't, my blog wouldn't be of much use... 😉

Yes, social media brings you a whole new audience. It puts your message and name in front of your audience on a regular basis. And it's a lot cheaper than buying TV commercials. I have witnessed businesses establish new customers, new contracts, and new opportunities thanks to social media. So, yeah, social media is an amazing marketing tool. But it's not your only marketing tool.

Social media can get you exposure and opportunity. But you shouldn't forgo traditional marketing tactics either. Can you imagine going to an event and not carrying business cards. And while some small businesses can succeed using only a Facebook page for marketing, the majority of businesses really need to have a well designed website.

And, for many businesses, the traditional marketing practices of TV commercials, radio spots, magazine spreads, and print ads are still a viable and reliable means of generating revenue.

Marketing is changing as technology and social media advance. And that's great. But don't forget about the other means to market your business.

Sales

Numerous reports and studies indicate that sales people who utilize social media close more deals and generate more revenue. This is awesome! But again, social media is enhancing their abilities, not replacing them. And, yes your website and social media are making business for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But nothing trumps the value of a real person connecting with a customer. Whether your sales reps are out in the field or on the phone in the office (or maybe even you as the solopreneur), customers want to talk to people. You still need live in-person interactions. Whether phone calls, video chats, or physical meetings, there has to be an opportunity to use traditional sales tactics to close a deal.

Customer Service

Social media has quickly evolved into the world of customer service. Customers are leaving complaints, concerns, feedback, compliments, questions, and other communications directly on companies' Facebook pages. Or they're tweeting companies with these same comments. More and more frequently customers are reaching out for support. And they want answers quickly!

So while social media is a convenient tool to generate these conversations and respond to customer comments, it still takes highly qualified customer service personnel to respond. Trust me, you don't want your summer intern handling a loyal customer's complaint about faulty packaging. And, yes, some issues can be resolved with a simple response on Twitter or Facebook. But often, you're going to want to take the issue offline and engage with the customers personally to ensure resolution.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you're on social media that you can cut back your customer service staff. In fact, I'd recommend you hire more staff to handle the additional inquiries that will come from social media.

Human Resources

Social media is playing a larger role in recruiting as well as retention. Not only are companies reaching out to potential job candidates but they are also using social media to engage and interact with their existing employees. And these are great ways for companies to really embrace the millennial generation and boost employee morale. But social media will never replace HR staff for handling internal employee relations issues, maintaining compliance with state and federal laws, or coordinating staff events and functions.

Your HR personnel are even more important as social media becomes more infused in your business. You should have HR personnel monitoring employee interactions on your social media sites to gauge responsiveness and atmosphere of the staff. This can give your company the ability to respond to situations before they get out of control or continue to capitalize on positive experiences.

Social media really is becoming a huge part of everyday business. But it needs to be clear that just because you have this new tool, you can't replace traditional business roles and personnel with a Facebook page. Use social media to enhance, support, and grow your business. Yes, you might have to hire someone to help you. But that's what growth is all about!

If you would like me to train your staff on how to use social media to support your business, please contact me!