The Dangers Of Social Media For Small Business

dangers of social media

Whether or not social media is a great tool for every small business is still debatable. There are many companies out there that are making a great fist of it, sure. But there is also a lot of potential for damaging your business. We’re going to look at some of the potential dangers social media can create your business – and how to stop them from causing harm.

The Time Drain

First of all, businesses can suffer from social media in the same way that people do. It can suck away so much of your productive time, and rarely gives you the results you need. You only need to think about business owners hiding behind their PCs, tweeting away about anything to understand the issues. If the owner is spending hours on Twitter, how are they making money? While Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great for brand building, they are far less effective at making money. The solution? Outsource your social media management to people that know what they are doing.

The Dirt

Of course, you don’t even need social media accounts for it to have an impact on your business. Unhappy customers or people with a grudge can always post what they like about your enterprise. The key here is to understand you have to consider social media even if you don’t wish to get involved. As the legal team from Pinder Reaux & Associates Ltd state, online reputation travels fast. It only takes a few untruths or false stories, and your reputation could go downhill overnight. Defamation is a serious issue on social media and the rest of the web. Make sure you are making constant checks that everything said about your name is positive – or, at least, honest.

The Cost

We hope you aren’t still falling for the old ‘free advertising’ routine that proponents of social media often wheel out. Sure, you can advertise for free – but less than 1% of your followers will ever see what you post on Facebook. The truth is that social media is just the same as any other advertising platform – and you get what you pay for. Not only do you have to pay for the advertising, but you also have to hire someone to run your accounts. So, never get into social media without investing time, effort, and a decent amount of money. People can spot a cheapskate from a mile away, and a poor quality social media page can be damaging.

The ROI

But what are you going to get from all this investment in running your social media channels? Given the amount of airtime social gets from the business press, it gives barely any returns for the vast majority of businesses. The trouble lies in the fact that most people don’t know how to get any ROI – let alone maximize it. Again, your best bet here is to stop messing about and hire an expert.

Have you experienced any big dramas with social media? We’d love to hear from you if so!

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