There are several reasons some businesses choose not to use social media in their marketing strategy.
They may feel the platform is too casual, taking dignity from their brand, or they've seen some of the very public social media meltdowns experienced by other businesses and are afraid to go down that road.
Whatever your reason for not adding social media to your marketing toolkit, you may be missing out on a lot of money.
Here are a few reasons to consider being a little less resistant to the social media trend:
Social media may amplify disasters, but it doesn't cause them
We've all seen them in the news: Companies (or, more often, employees) posting inappropriate content to their corporate social media profiles and causing a huge storm of controversy.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
By setting up clear guidelines for use of your social media accounts, and limiting access to a few key people, you can avoid problems. And the boost in reputation and brand trust you'll get from interacting directly with your followers will more than make up for the risk of a blunder.
Social media can save you time and money on marketing
With its easy accessibility and ability to be updated from anywhere, social media is a perfect way to keep your customers and other followers informed.
You can post breaking news about your company, new promotions, new employees or managers -- all with a quick post.
Social media also provides a low-cost way of getting your marketing messages in front of more people.
As long as you're providing valuable content to your followers on a regular basis, they'll be more receptive to your promotions -- and may even reward you with more purchases.
If you're marketing to young adults, social media is almost required
People in their teens and 20s have fully embraced social networking, with 89% of 18- to 29-year-olds using at least one social platform (according to Pew Internet Research).
If you're not reaching out to this age group on social media, where they spend a significant portion of their time, your marketing campaign may fall on deaf ears.
You won't have a chance to redirect conversations about your brand
According to MarketingLand, 91% of consumers surveyed said they have gone into a store because of an online experience.
And Forbes quoted a study that reported 78% of consumers agreed that how a company interacts on social media influences their purchasing decisions.
People are going to discuss your brand via social media, for good or bad.
By refusing to engage with them on social networking sites, you lose the chance to make a timely and thoughtful response to negative feedback. This can lead to a one-sided conversation that just talks about bad experiences people have had with your company.
Social media provides many benefits to businesses, and can provide a great opportunity to connect and engage with customers.
By avoiding this useful platform, you take your voice out of the conversation -- and miss the opportunity to build trust and potential sales.