If you want new customers don't use social media

Don’t use social media to get new customers, well that is the opinion of marketers in a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Marketing published in Marketing Week.

The report looked at the usual suspects of  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn and the considered opinion was they do little to drive new customers to their  products.

It would seem that the consensus is that social media is important for customer engagement, retention and should be part of a longer term strategy to make brands warm and cuddly.

As Alex Pearmain, head of social media at O2, says “If someone invests in direct response and wants a return within 10 days, I would query the use of social media.” And so say all of the direct marketing community.

With a large brand and budget it is possible to enjoy the luxury of a social media campaign however for the majority of companies in the UK it is all about getting a return to survive and then to grow.

The headlong race into social media is possibly the worst thing a SME could do, time and effort are required and both have to be sustained over a long period to reap any benefit.

Sometimes there is no accounting for marketers decision making processes, having expressed doubts on the efficacy of social media, nearly three quarters of marketers are going to increase their spend.