The benefits of social media for your business
Shopping Product ReviewsSocial Networks are here to stay. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ are of course the major networking sites and they dominate the internet. People who originally thought social media was a fad are now accepting that social media is a very powerful tool and should be a part of any business marketing strategy.
It has many benefits. The advantages of being able to reach people all over the world are a great asset for any business. It’s great for driving traffic and, more importantly, creating conversations that are normally out of reach for most people. It’s also a great tool for managing your reputation and responding to customers who talk about you quickly and efficiently. Companies must learn to work differently and be transparent, what their customers post online stays online.
There is still a learning curve to find the best way to use this great tool. Many people are still overwhelmed by the time it takes to get results and often don’t know how best to take advantage of this opportunity.
Why should you create a social media strategy? Without a clear direction, the medium can pull you in different directions. Clear goals and realistic expectations can help avoid wasted time, wasted effort, backlash, fatigue, and missed opportunities.
You need to ask yourself “What are you trying to achieve?” Potential customers? Buzz? Awareness? Brand recognition? Leadership?
A core philosophy gives you daily focus and helps you define your goals.
How will you know your plan is working? The good thing about social networks is that it gives you the opportunity to establish metrics that follow your philosophy.
There are many ways to measure the success of your campaigns: blog posts, reader comments, Twitter mentions, Twitter followers, Facebook fans, Facebook likes, links, RSS subscribers, Google trends, Alexa rankings, search results, inbound traffic, clicks, YouTube Views, YouTube Writers, Diggs, Stumbles, and Klout.
There are many different tools on the market now that help you measure the results of these sites. If you’re on a budget, you can do it through Google Docs and just set up and chart to see the growth. Once your reach and budget grow, you can try tools like Radian6.
Who is responsible for your campaign? Social Media is a mix of public relations, customer service, marketing and much more. Every company needs to have someone to carry out these tasks and ensure that it is profitable. There are hundreds of social media experts who can show you how to get a positive return on your investment.
Social media is a very important part of any business. You should have a clearly defined plan where you can measure the results to make sure it’s working and achieving the goals you want.
You need to be creative and try to think how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. It is not a passing fad and it is time for every business to have a strategy so that they not only have a better online presence, but also engage with their customers and potential prospects. Companies can no longer afford to hide. You need to be online, accessible and leading the way.