False economy What’s in it for me? Understand what makes the

Social media will not make or break your 
business.
Even though marketers and media want to 
convince you otherwise, your success does not 
depend upon whether you are active on social 
media platforms. While social media might not 
hurt you, you should also remember the 
following.
Most businesses don’t actually need a web 
presence other than their homepage. For many 
businesses, it’s better to show the customer that 
you care by being available in person – or at 
least over email – rather than having them 
interact with your company through a social 
media account.
Only use those platforms if doing so actually 
serves your business and if your audience is 
there. Ultimately, only you can know what suits 
your business, so don’t follow the generic advice 
of self-proclaimed marketing gurus.
Remember too that marketers will say that you 
must market on social media platforms or else 
your business will suffer – but this simply isn’t 
true.
In places like New York, Los Angeles or other 
metropolitan areas, where many people actually 
do use social media, then it might be worth it to 
join.
But for a regular business in a small town, it’s 
just a waste of time and resources to try and 
create a presence on these platforms, since your 
customers probably won’t read your material.
Good marketing always takes into account your 
specific circumstances and customers. For 
example, if your customers are over 50, then 
you simply won’t reach them using social media.
And in the event that you do decide to go on 
social media, don’t let the critics get you down – 
they are simply unavoidable.
You will definitely attract criticism on social 
media, but remember that they only represent a 
small part of your market. Don’t waste time 
getting into debates with critics online. What 
matters is the quality of customer service for 

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your real customers, not satisfying anonymous 
critics.