It’s clear that social media marketing has grown dramatically during the last few years and that with an increase of than 800 million active users, the number of Facebook users is easily more than twice the size of the entire population of america!
Its growth has been astronomical and today, millions of people are posting more personal and business information online than previously. It’s happening at lightning speed with a large number of posts, tweets and uploads occurring every hour.
Recent research conducted by the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) commissioned by Sensis Pty Ltd (May 2011, p. 10) indicates, that “62% of Australian Internet surfers use a variety of social media marketing sites, with many visiting every day and most at least several times a week.” It’s no surprise that with the an incredible number of prospective customers from worldwide using these sites, each day, that so many businesses are determined to include social media into their marketing mix. However it also important to get a knowledge of how these sites are being used and what’s involved with maintaining or resourcing your organization presence on these sites. Your web footprint can stick around for a long period so don’t underestimate how this can affect the perception of one’s brand on the market place. Spend time upfront thinking about whether social media is right for your business.
1. Seek first to understand – It is crucial that you understand the basics of how is social media really works and how it’s used. What are people and businesses doing with social media? What gets them results? Some of you may be thinking, how do I do this? Perchance you could consider trying it out for yourself by setting up a personal account, then testing a few of the features, or get yourself a trusted friend showing you their account and show you through. Alternatively there are Social Media Management services and ‘how to’ items online about social media, that you could run a search on Google or on YouTube on a particular topic of interest watching the video tutorials to get informed.
2. Understand your purpose – What’s your purpose is for using social media marketing? What do you hope to achieve for your business by it? It’s really essential that you identify your purpose so you can get involved in social media (or any marketing activity for example). You need to work out why you are taking part. What do you be prepared to achieve? Do you simply want to build brand awareness, build relationships your customers or identify new sales opportunities? Remember to be realistic about what you believe you will be able to attain.
3. If you decide to engage in social media, which sites are best for you? – With the plethora of social media marketing sites available, those are best for the business? Think about where your market would socialize online, and take into account the period of time and resources you would realistically be able to invest in maintaining and administering your website presence. Which ones are right for you? You might find that some are a better fit than others.
4. Quality Content – In the event that you decide that social media marketing is right for your business, carefully consider the amount and quality of information you would like to share in the online sphere. Remember it will probably stay there for years, so you must make sure it accurate and reliable information that is valuable to your target audience. It has to be relevant, otherwise people will not read it.