The cost of disengaging as a business

We’ve all had those moments when we’re tired and done with the day and we decide that the best way to unwind and relax is to let go of social media. Then that evening turns into a couple of days which turns into weeks by which point your profile or page looks a little worse for wear. 

I’m a total advocate for putting the phone down for the evening and disengaging. In fact, it’s part of my own self care plan. But what is the cost of letting that break spiral out of control? 

Your customers need to know that you’re available.

This is point number one for a reason.

Don’t be the business on Facebook that last posted in March 2020, people visiting your page will notice and it gives the impression that you’re inactive, some people might even jump to the conclusion that you’ve shut down for good. If you are going to have a Facebook page, don’t let it go dormant. This also goes for Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Engagement on social media is a fantastic way to gain notoriety in your local community.

Any small business can make a splash in social media if you make the time for it. Sticking with the Facebook theme of this post, join up to groups in the areas that interest you, such as the local group where you live or the groups in areas that you want to sell. 

Don’t go in with the intention of selling, go in with the intention to have a conversation. Many groups won’t want you to post anything about your business but by attaching your name to conversations you’ll become recognisable and people will be curious about who you are (they might even do a bit of Facebook stalking and find your business page). 

Keeping up to date with people in these groups can be a perfect way to sell your products or services without directly selling to anyone. Consistentcy is key though, it won’t work if you drop off of the face of… well, Facebook. 

Remember the seven touchpoints rule

Think about the ways that you learn about other businesses. I’ll use a recent example to illustrate. So I was browsing Tik Tok and came across this wonderful content creator in Llandudno, she sells houseplants but she’s a little far away from me to pop in and buy. So, I did a brief investigation of local houseplant sellers near me, I was then rudely interrupted by life and forgot all about my search. 

A couple of days later I was browsing Facebook and got an ad for a local houseplant seller in my area, I didn’t buy in at this point because ads always make me feel a bit yucky but over the next few days I came across the same business a few more times, both on the local group page. These weren’t direct ads, they were just having a chat in the group. (Here we reached four touchpoints, five if we count the original Tik Tok). 

Fast forward another couple of weeks and we have some research to do for a client in the floristry industry. Once again, I ended up on the houseplants page and now their website, not to buy for them but to learn more about their process for my job, whilst ogling the amazing pictures of plants. 

So, I’m now at about six touchpoints with this business and have an intention to buy.

This is ideally what any small business should aim to replicate, it won’t give your business a win overnight but it will keep people thinking about you and may eventually lead to a sale or nine… 

Of course, if the interaction with the seller is good then they’ll get some word of mouth marketing for free from me so it’s a win all around. 

The real cost of disengaging from your marketing is missing out on opportunities to remind people of who you are, what you do and what you’re selling. 

As I said at the beginning, take all the time you need to disengage in the evening and on the weekend but make sure you are making the most of the platforms that you have at your disposal. 

One of the jobs that we love doing at Avidmode is getting you on the right track with your marketing. We help you to work out what your digital marketing strategy is and then help you implement it with a weekly check in. If this sounds like something you want then pop us a quick message using our contact form and we’ll get you booked in.