It’s great sitting at my desk staring out of the window. I have a lovely view of the local allotments and I have often been amused by passers-by who do not realise I’m watching. I’m usually looking out while I wait for inspiration for my next witty and engaging Facebook post.

Then the phone goes…

I answer in my cheery tone to find a stranger on the phone. (We’ll call him Mr Stranger.) He has been reading about social media and its value to business, so has proceeded to search for a suitable company using google. There we were! He’s delved a little deeper, and as he wants to find a ‘real professional’ to get advice from, he’s looked us up on LinkedIn as well and has also had a look at the boss’s profile; I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea!

The conversation goes like this…

Mr Stranger: erm… This social media thing, then. Erm… How does it work?

Me: Well….

And then I find a way to describe to Mr Stranger the journey he has just taken. The journey that has brought him to be on the phone with me. I explain that by being ‘social’ and creating a buzz about our business online, we have ranked well within his google search; I discuss that we probably weren’t the only agency that came up.

Then I ask him the ultimate question – Why did he choose to call us?

Whether it’s this Mr Stranger or another, the answer is usually one of the following:

‘I was reading _______ on your website…’
‘Well, I was looking at your Facebook page and….’
‘I’ve been following you on Twitter…’
‘Your recommendations on LinkedIn/google/Facebook…’
‘We have a mutual connection…’

(The answer has never been, ‘You were number one, and I haven’t called anyone else yet.’)

The conversation goes on; I’m now talking about our services, and I mention a particular strategy that I think would work for him. Mr Stranger suddenly interrupts ‘Ah yes! I’m on your email list, and I read one of your articles about that!’ It turns out Mr stranger has checked us out on Twitter and Facebook too, and his wife, Mrs Stranger said we’re on her pinny thing. Then he proudly announces that he downloaded our e-book and read it in one sitting.

So, where am I going with this?

The outcome of this conversation will be that Mr Stranger hasn’t got a clue about social media; apparently, he never uses it. Although it’s a resource that he made use of in order to find, research and then contact me right now!

By being active on several social media platforms and keeping a consistent presence across these platforms, we have made ourselves both accessible and attractive as a potential supplier. Mr Stranger actually carried out his research a little while ago and has been very busy, unable to follow up until now, but we’ve remained on his radar because of our activities.

Being social when you’re in business really is a no-brainer. Yes, there are people out there who are far from advocates of Facebook or Twitter, but being social isn’t limited to just these. Being social online is a great way of making your business accessible for everyone. Social media underpins many of your key marketing activities and, when managed efficiently, portrays you as an expert in your field, a go-to source of information, and although it may not have an instant, or even a direct financial ROI – in my experience, it certainly keeps the phone ringing!