Without a social media presence, you might be starting to feel like a corporate dinosaur on the brink of an evolutionary crisis.
Social media has now infiltrated all levels of business from large to small, and a "survival of the fittest" climate may call for adaptation as a means of preservation within the competitive marketplace.
Facebook flaunts 500 million active users, Twitter touts 105 million registered users, LinkedIn logs 75 million members, and two billion videos are viewed per day on YouTube.
If these staggering statistics are not convincing enough, there are a number of other good reasons for your organization to jump into the social media ring of the internet age.
Before implementing any campaign, it is important to consider the potential risks, both great and small.
Social media extends a blanket invitation for consumers to interact directly with a business while greatly limiting the ability of that business to control the direction of the conversation.
For this reason, a business must be prepared to respond quickly and professionally to a worst-case scenario.
Negative comments or criticism must be anticipated and expected, and a backup plan should be in place for this sort of unfavorable publicity.
Social media is by definition a give and take relationship and should not be undertaken to simply drive information to potential customers on a one-way street; someone will inevitably go the wrong way.
Smart companies prepare for travel in both directions by listening, interacting and responding promptly to comments and concerns to highlight their commitment to customer service and problem resolution.
In spite of the risks, social media can be a valuable weapon in a well-stocked marketing arsenal.
Businesses can reap results and ultimately profit after successfully joining the ever-growing online conversations to share opinions, insight, experiences and perspectives with interested audiences who are ready to be converted into loyal customers.
The following useful marketing strategies can be utilized through social media.
• Monitor what others are saying about your brand, product, service and competition in real time • Engage current customers and new prospects by communicating directly with them • Sell your product or service with special discounts and promotions available only through digital channels • Support customers by answering questions and being easily accessible in mediums with which they are already familiar • Prospect for new customers/clients by keyword phrase or interest • Build Awareness through increased visibility of your name, brand, product or service • Search Engine Optimization to increase search engine rankings for important keywords and phrases The key to effectiveness with all of these marketing tactics depends upon the implementation and maintenance strategy employed.
Jumping into the fray prematurely with a quick-fix mindset will ultimately result in frustration and disappointment.
Careful planning and a long-term commitment are crucial components to any social media campaign.
This can be accomplished by following a logical seven step process to substantially increase the likelihood of success: assemble, monitor, plan, implement, engage, commit and evaluate.
1 Assemble a team of people across all important company departments to share responsibilities, making sure all team members have a passion for their job and enjoy interacting through social media already 2 Monitor current online conversations about your company, brand, competitors and industry before you begin to get a feel for how the system works and proper etiquette 3 Plan who to target and pinpoint which outlets will reach them, determine which team members will handle specific responsibilities like day-to-day maintenance, emergency decision making, writing and content generation, and clearly define a measurable goal to track results over time such as number of mentions, number of friends or followers obtained, number of visits to a special web page, redemptions of a specific sales code, or calls to a special phone number 4 Implement social media channels slowly, one at a time, but all branded to maintain consistency in appearance and message while directing all interested parties back to a pre-determined home base such as a website or blog 5 Engage the target audience by adding relevant quality content on a timely basis and interacting promptly to questions and/or responses generated 6 Commit to maintaining social media efforts on a long-term basis to achieve measurable results over time 7 Evaluate efforts quarterly and adapt strategy as necessary based on results Taking the necessary time to properly analyze and launch a sound social media campaign will pay off with measurable results.
While social media appears to be a relatively inexpensive venture on the surface, the actual cost is significant when the amount of time and manpower required for planning, implementing, monitoring and maintaining an effective online presence is calculated.
With your company's reputation at stake, it is wise to move forward cautiously.
Numerous web-based tools are available to help integrate and sustain the efforts of the social media team; if the task appears daunting, social media professionals can provide the necessary assistance.
Not only is it possible to add social media to the marketing mix for your organization, it can be a smart move with the proper planning.
Avoid extinction by establishing a targeted social media campaign for your own business.