SMEs: Don’t bother with the Social Web
3rd February 2010
I’ve been thinking about this a bit recently as Digital Birmingham have been looking at the way that using the social web can help Small and Medium Sized businesses to drum up work.
Recently, Pete Ashton had a problem with his boiler and he asked Twitter for recommendations.
Now, having been on various Moseley related lists in the past ten years or so I knew that it wouldn’t be long before somebody recommended Clive the Gasman. Sure enough, Jon Bounds soon popped up and did exactly that. I’ve used Clive myself because Bill Lees from the old Moseley Free group recommended him.
Now Clives a bloody good plumber, but his interest in all things webby is pretty limited. He doesn’t have a website, if he has an email I’ve never known it, and certainly wouldn’t use it to book him for work. Instead, you phone up, speak to the very lovely Mrs The Gasman and she arranges for Clive to come round.
At the start of the year I went on holiday to Lanzarote. I mentioned this on Twitter and pretty soon I’d been followed by Julie, who runs a blog about the island. We chatted a couple of times about Lanzarote in general and then, a few days before I left, I sent out a Tweet saying that I was going to book my accommodation that day. Julie offered a couple of suggestions and I ended up booking an apartment with a woman called Brenda.
I spoke to Brenda on the phone, and mentioned that I’d spoken to Julie on Twitter and that was how I’d heard of her apartment. She knew Julie, but didn’t pick up on the Twitter reference. I assume that she either doesn’t know what it is, or she does but isn’t using it.
Now my point behind this is that our thoughts, certainly about single tradesman using social media, may have been a little ill-conceived. From my two examples above it seems to me that word-of-mouth recommendations will be made over the social web but that a tradesperson doesn’t have to bother with it unless they want to. After all, if they are any good then they’ll still get the work.
I’ve just done a search for “Pete Ashton Plumber” to try and find Pete’s original Tweet and I notice that he’s blogged something very similar about this as well. Hopefully, he’ll consider this post as validation and not plagiarism.
They may not bother with the social web, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t.
I can imagine a tradesperson with a Facebook page full of glowing testimonials from satisfied customers who would be fighting new business off with a stick.
But, perhaps that’s the point. Good, genuine, skilled tradespeople are so thin on the ground these days that most don’t have to try too hard for work.
I completely agree with John, and to be honest Simon, your post didn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know.
SMEs do get most of their business from word of mouth, and personal recommendations, but that doesn’t mean they should ignore the web to promote themselves. This is the exact reason why Google created the local business centre. You don’t even need a wesbite to be listed. What if you’re not in your home town, and suddenly require a local mechanic. When you don’t know anyone in the area, it can be hard to get recommendations. Not wanting to be a Google advocate here, but Google have also just launched two other initiatives for SME’s Goggles, and Favourite Places. The web, and advertising, may not be a plumbers core competence, but to ignore the online tools available to them will eventually be detrimental to their business. The old adage, “if you don’t someone else will” rings true here.
I agree with John. What you and Pete Ashton are describing is a digital version of how recommends get made. Just because that happens doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time for a plumber or whatever to have his or her own online network. Just because recommends were word of mouth in the old days didn’t mean businesses never did any other marketing.
John
I think we also imagined tradespeople with Facebook pages full of glowing testimonials, blogs full of handy tips, and Twitterfeeds talking about their work.
We’ve not found a single example of it in Brum though. If I was talking to Clive and suggested that he get himself on Twitter he’d think I was a bit tapped.
Actually, he already thinks that. But that’s another story
Simon
I’m not suggesting that SMEs ignore the web. You’ll see that I linked to one of Clive’s business listings, for instance. Also, Julie’s site includes links to accommodation and they typically have their own web page.
What I am suggesting is that it might not be worth having anything other than a static online presence and that social networking will provide recommendations without SMEs (especially single tradespeople) having to engage in it.
In answer to what I would do if I needed a mechanic in another town, the honest answer is that depending upon the circumstances I’d be in touch with either the AA or my insurance company.
Julie’s example is one that I’m particularly interested in. She *does* use the social web, and is making a business out of it. And part of that is acting between property owners, who might not want to use social networking for their business and people like me who are happy to take recommendations through her.
Hi Simon,
Appreciate the response. My comments were mainly following up John’s, and your comment where you mentioned trades people don’t have to bother with the social web if they don’t wont to. I guess they don’t, but if one of their competitors do bother to be more active on the web, they may find their jobs declining.
I think the point you make in your second paragraph in response to me would have been well placed in your main post, as this wasn’t a view I initially picked up on in the main article.
(p.s. The mechanic example wasn’t a good one, as I too would use my AA membership, but I hope you get the general point I was making.)