My ethical stand to Value over Profit in social media

There has been something I have wanted to talk about for a while, a subject that may rustle a few feathers but I hope it gets people thinking. As a business we are here to make a profit but how we do it can define who we are. I believe that ethics is extremely important which is why when it comes to social media our main principle is to work towards value over profit.

Now let me make it clear, what we provide comes at a cost and we may be a little more expensive than many other companies that provide social media. But what we do is only accept business where we believe we can add value to a company.

When I started on social media, as many of you know, I had no idea what I was doing, it is only through listening, learning, experimenting and continuing this process over time have I become to understand that some things will not work. We have often been approached by estate agents who desire us to lower our social media offering for a lesser fee, my response is always the same – NO!

Why would I turn down legitimate business and provide what the potential client is seeking?  There is one big reason – Value.

Let me explain, let’s take twitter, for example, we all know when you are viewing your timeline you see a snapshot of time. If you are not tagged into a post, you will miss everything that has been posted outside the timeframe you are looking at. When I jump onto twitter I may look through the last 15 minutes of live tweets, therefore, if you haven’t posted a tweet within this 15-minute window I will not see it.

Why does this matter?

Because if you want your content to reach your audience it needs to be seen.

This is why I get upset when I see some companies offering businesses social media products that will add no value to the business because they have dramatically reduced the probability of their tweets being seen. The other day I came across a company that was charging a monthly fee of £100 for 10 tweets and 10 Facebook posts a month, that’s 2.5 tweets a week. Even if you doubled that that’s still less that 1 tweet/post a day a week, what real value is this adding to your business?

Ethically, I find these social media packages wrong.
Screen Shot 2016-05-11 at 13.25.56Social media is about creating relationships, if you are not visible and not engaging, how are you going to start to develop a relationship and establish trust.

If you do have the time to manage social media in-house I would always strongly advise this is the preferred option. You can always jump on a training course, or as I did, listen, learn and experiment. There is no quick magic wand to social media it does take time and work to get to know and understand your following.

If you do decide that you need to outsource your social media then please think about the package you choose, will it really add value to your business? You don’t want to be throwing your money away on something that will not have any impact.

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we do it.” Erik Qualman

You May Also Enjoy

small house bird box
Breaking News

UK First Time Buyers better off than many other global nations

Is it really that bad being a first-time buyer? UK better off than many other global nations when it comes to affordability The latest market analysis from Yopa, the full-service estate agents, reveals that first-time buyers (FTBs) in the UK may be paying 63% more to get a foot on the property ladder than they…
Read More
new build homes colchester essex
Breaking News

Building Safety Regulator Reform

The Government has announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator, including leadership, process and investment. The changes are hoped to deliver 1.5 million homes. The reforms pave the way for creation of a single construction safety regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower enquiry. David Smith, property litigation partner at London law firm Spector Constant…
Read More
Breaking News

New anti-money laundering rules now in effect: what landlords need to know

New anti-money laundering (AML) rules came into effect this month, marking a significant change for landlords and the lettings industry as a whole. The new rules mean financial sanctions checks are now required for all lettings, regardless of how much rent is charged. Here, Steve Bond, managing director of residential lettings for Beresfords, explains what…
Read More
Breaking News

What landlords need to know about the upcoming Renters Rights Bill

The government’s long-awaited Renters Rights Bill is one of the most significant overhauls of the private rental sector in decades. While it has not yet received royal assent, the legislation is expected to come into effect late this year, or early in 2026. With the bill moving closer to becoming law, Steven Bond, managing director…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals bounce back in May

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for May sat at 63,032 up 3.9% from 60,656 in April. The monthly increase seen in May marks the end of four months of previous decline, with approval levels having fallen each month since January of this year. Approvals are also 2.5% higher than…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – May 2025

Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased by £2.8 billion to £2.1 billion in May, following a large decrease in net borrowing of £13.8 billion to -£0.8 billion in April. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 2,400 to 63,000 in May. Approvals for remortgaging also increased by 6,200 to 41,500…
Read More