Social media can go one  of two ways for a business. It can become part of a thriving community of brand fans and people interested in your products, with you at the centre initiating and responding to discussions. Alternatively it can become a waste ground of forgotten profiles with digital tumble weeds sweeping through, uncared for an unloved. Here are 7 reasons your business shouldn’t use social media.

No clear strategy or target
If you do not have an overall clear strategy, i.e. “Why am I using this and what do I want to achieve?” then you shouldn’t be using it.

Your customers aren’t using it
Not every customer type is using social media, or at least not in the context you are used to working with them. For example, if you offer B2B IT services, very few of your customers will use social media in a business context. Additionally they are unlikely to want to interact with you on their personal accounts.

People expect something for nothing
If you truly want to be successful with social media you typically have to mix competitions and exclusive to draw interest and swell your follower numbers.

You don’t have much to say
If you don’t have any content to share (e.g. forums, blogs, video, photos or podcasts etc.) or topics to discuss why are people going to follow you?

It is going to be an after thought
If the person managing it is going to re-tweet when they get around to it or allocate a 10 minute slot per week to update the Facebook page, it is not worth your time.

You aren’t thinking long term
Social media marketing should be an on-going process with your customers. Expecting people to react to occasional flurries of activity or the odd statement here and there is unrealistic.

But everyone else is doing it!
Don’t get sucked into setting up social media profiles simply because “everyone else is doing it”. Social media is no different to any other aspect of your business, if it doesn’t fit, don’t do it.