This is common but marketing compatibility not only applies to social media but your audience, image, and more. If you've been in business for a minute then you know that change is sometimes inevitable. However, it helps to let your audience know via press release or by changing the visuals and content associated with your brand.
In other instances, sometimes the train of thought isn't congruent with business communication needed to close the deal. Sometimes, we can have a nice presence, fair prices, and good skillset. While some instances are debatable, here's a couple of situations I ran across recently.
Recording artist-turned-celebrity chef Kelis recently came under fire via social media twice in recent in regard to price changes for her wares. First, a spice gift box created in collaboration with a well-known gourmet brand priced at $150, plus $20 for shipping left fans shocked. In a separate event, she proudly showed off her imported handbags via Twitter, only to be exposed for marking up the prices nearly four times the cost of what similar bags are sold in Colombia.
While I've no problem with her marking up prices (a person just doesn't have to buy, right?), this isn't in line with her debut release of sauces. These were only priced a couple of dollars above what's sold at the supermarket but tasted a whole lot better. Was there a possible math problem when determining a markup? Were the sauces an early loss leader? If so, why weren't her loyal fans informed...or better, her products marketed to the affluent folks who love to cook instead?
Another incident that's closer to home. We're in the process of looking for a contractor/handyman to help out around the family home. If they know plumbing basics, that's like gravy with bacon bits and of course, honesty is appreciated. So my mom runs across someone with a truck that details all services (good) and asks for a business card. He replies that he doesn't have any because people lose them...just take a pic of his truck and call when we're ready for business.
This was funny to us both because we're probably the only people on our block with business card holders (one for distributing and another for receiving, thank you). Maybe he has a valid point but in a business where word-of-mouth is probably the most effective, it couldn't hurt to make a small investment. Around the same time, I ran into a similar contractor who listed every single service on other side of their business card. The front was well-designed and simple yet I was pleasantly surprised to see they may have everything my family needs. Also, telling someone they may do something negative without knowing them personally is poor communication. We're still auditioning but the truck guy isn't my choice and chances are I'll be the one paying the bill.
Change can be scary to some but often is necessary for survival. Not just in business but even in our personal lives. If a person wants to re-enter the dating scene after being in a committed relationship for a decade or two, there are many factors they have to consider. The list may be shorter or longer than before but this individual needs to prepare themselves for dealing with an older crowd. In other words, the old ways won't cut it.
And it may just be a matter of re-tooling your brand. Getting rid of weird names (or worse, a weird URL that's hardly visited), social media pages with sparse content, or a price upgrade may be necessary to stay afloat. While paper may become a thing of the past, consider your audience, The cameraphone marketing may be fine with millennials but it's a Gen-Xer or baby boomer that is a little more receptive to getting a piece of paper in hand with contact information.
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