As a marketing and communications company, we often get asked the question, "Does social media really work?" So we've decided to address this issue in an 8-part series of upcoming blogs about the topic.
This first blog will be an introduction discussing why you should use social media in marketing your company or organization.
Because it is such a new medium of advertising and it has evolved so quickly its understandable people would question its effectiveness.
Also, it's somewhat difficult to measure its effectiveness and gauge that against other forms of advertising.
And for business owners who are already tight on time, as most of us are, engaging in these seemingly wishy washy marketing efforts can seem like an additional task that you just don't have time for.
Metrics are available to measure the effectiveness of social media, which we will discuss in a future blog.
But for now, I think we can make the case by pointing out just a few of the literally hundreds of examples of its effectiveness:

• Politicians have been elected and ousted with it
• Books such as 50 Shades of Grey have been gone on to be best sellers after being published on websites and as e-books.
  
• Every day people are cultivating relationships and sharing their thoughts and ideas through this medium.
  

And in reality, getting started isn't too arduous or time consuming at all.
Just like anything, you can work it into your every day routine.
And if these points haven't convinced you, then maybe this point will - if you don't engage in social media, your organization looks dated.
Just as in real life, online impressions make a difference, and this platform isn't going away anytime soon.
If a company or organization doesn't have a website and/or Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Google+ accounts, they appear out of the times, and for a business owner, that is not an impression you want to make.
If you don't know how to get started, stay tuned for our upcoming blog offering some great tips on setting up an effective program for your organization.
OK now back to where we were - So let's say I've convinced you.
You're going to go out there and set up your accounts.
Then what? Companies often ask how it works and more importantly, how it can make them money.
As humans we are naturally drawn to each other.
We love to create communities.
This is exactly why social media has become so popular.
It was built to help connect people and foster relationships.
Only this platform has a bonus to it - you are able to interact with thousands of people you would normally not get the chance to otherwise.
So like anything else, you get what you put into it.
Use this form of communication just like you would network with people in real life.
Interact with your followers and fans, start up conversations and take the time to build relationships with them.
Over time, just as in real life, the relationships you create and foster online can turn into working relationships.
Social media is a complicated subject matter, and we will cover some topics in more depths in our future blogs for those of you who would like to DIY.
But if you find you just don't have the time to put into it yourself, you can hire a professional instead.
Here are the topics you can watch out for in the near future:

• How to Get Started
• 5 Tips for Quality Posts
• The Difference Between Facebook and Twitter
• Why Use YouTube for Marketing
• How to Get Fans, Followers and Views
• Easy Ways to Use Multiple Accounts
• How to Measure its Effectiveness