It’s a Wonderful Site

It was Christmas Eve, and Georgina Bailey looked sadly at the world around her. She had spent years–YEARS–building a following on social media, but for what? All the friend requests, all the notifications, all the pages. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Wuphf, Snapchat. Georgina felt a lump at the back of her throat when she thought of that video that she shared for her birth center’s page that got five likes. FIVE! And one was from her mom’s hacked account! In a fit of anger, she wished she had never spent time on social media. Looking at the water rushing below the bridge, she chucked her phone and watched as the waves below swallowed it whole.

By Georgina’s side, there was a sudden flash followed by a mystical voice: “Wait, did you throw it? I’m a second too late!” Georgina watched in disbelief as a translucent woman appeared before her.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Clara, your guardian angel.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I heard you were wishing you never had social media. You’re a business owner, girl. You should really know better.”

“Hogwash! My life would be so much better had I never started that Instagram.”

The angel rolled her eyes and said, “Okay, come with me.”

The two walked through town until they saw a pregnant woman knocking frantically on the door of an empty building. Georgina studied it for a second before realizing where they were. “The old birth center,” she said. “She should know that we moved.”

“She never got the notification. She put her old email address on your newsletter and didn’t see the update. You see, Georgina, Facebook and Instagram are a great way to relay information to your clients for your business including building updates, upcoming events, sudden closures, and more! Because you never created a page, she never got to see the announcement that you moved.”

The two walked further. They came upon a hospital, and Clara led her upstairs. Hunched in a drab hospital bed under flickering fluorescent lights was a client Georgina recognized instantly. “Carol!”

Carol rocked her newborn baby while shooting glares at her husband.

“Why is Carol here?”

“She never heard of you guys. You see, nine months ago, Carol found herself Googling, ‘benefits of a birth center’ and got literally no useful results from this area. Had you not wished your online presence away, she would have come upon your post that could have changed her life. Posting regularly on social media increases your visibility on search engines, allowing you to find more clients. Because you don’t have any social media presence or content, Carol decided to just use the hospital down the road.”  Clara glanced at Carol and shook her head in disbelief.

From the hospital, the pair wandered on until they reached a rival birth center across town. Inside was a client Georgina again recognized. “Oh, no! Not Annie!”

“Yes, Annie. Annie had found you when she searched for local birth centers. Your Facebook page had plenty of glowing reviews and positive comments, helping Annie to trust you guys almost immediately. But without social media…”

“…she never saw the reviews,” Georgina said, sadly.

“That’s right. Having a social media page builds up trustworthiness for your brand. Annie didn’t feel like she could trust you and instead went with a center that had a page and a few nice comments. She’s going to hate the experience there. You were such a better fit for her needs…”

“No!”

“Walk on a little more with me.”

The two arrived at the birth center Georgina and her team opened up five years ago. But something felt different. The paint was duller, the staff seemed moodier, and none of the clients appeared to be very happy. “What changed?” Georgina asked.

“No one feels connected. A social media page can really set the mood for your practice. Your page helps your clients to feel connected to you and stay interested. They’re more likely to share your content if you post regularly and are interactive, and they’ll feel more loyalty towards you. You might not realize it, but your social media page had set the vibe for your center in a big way, and without it, well…”

Georgina watched as an orchid on the front desk promptly died.

“I take it back! I take it all back! Help me, Clara! Please? I want to post again! I want to post again.” But suddenly, Clara was nowhere to be found.

“Georgina, whatever are you crying about?” She turned around and saw her team surrounding her, looking surprised. Walking by was a familiar woman, finishing her prenatal appointment.

“Annie!” Georgina cried. “You’re our client again!”

“Of course I’m your client,” Annie said, looking slightly annoyed by Georgina’s loudness. But Georgina didn’t care. She had learned her lesson. And she swore she would never take social media or her online presence for granted again. Because every time a good video gets posted on social media, another woman finds a great birth experience…

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