This is a response I heard during the week when I suggested Facebook as a possible social platform. I have no argument with that logic. But this response was more about assumed demographics than real evidence.

Let’s break this down a bit. Are all your customers in one narrow demographic? More likely you have potential customers in most demographics. The numbers will vary but all will be represented. Also, the perception that Facebook is the exclusive domain of the young is not valid. I have written about this previously - Facebook is going grey!

Have you seen a Facebook user showing photos to a non Facebook user? I have. I often see it at family gatherings. While this is mostly triggered by photos of recent family activities, broader exposure always results - “here are photos from my new kitchen” or “these are the blinds I just put in the lounge room”.

A customer is a customer. If the social channel exposes your product to even a small number of potential customers the effort may still be worthwhile.

I can accept an argument that your effort may be better applied to other channels, either because there are more potential customers represented there or because the channel is a better fit with your corporate culture or capacity. But I don’t easily accept the demographic argument.

While I have featured Facebook in this post, the logic applies to all social media channels.

Related articles:

• Facebook is going grey! (blog.midboh.com.au)
• Old codgers in the thick of it (blog.midboh.com.au)