The Importance of Social Media

Social media is the blazing the way for business and the importance of using social media in your marketing strategy should not be overlooked. Frankly you can’t afford not to do it.

I hear from many clients who state they don’t have the time, energy, or knowledge to get involved in social media, and that they don’t understand or see how it can be beneficial to them. Some feel that it doesn’t apply to their industry or their product, however social media is beneficial to anyone who implements a strategy with goals, and devotes the time to make it successful.

The important thing to remember with any strategy is that you need to know what you hope to gain from it. What is your desired outcome or objective? Are you seeking engagement, leads, networking, conversion, etc.? These are equally important for some businesses and yet others just want a form of engagement with clients and prospects. Whatever your objective, be sure to have a plan.

You’ll need to know your demographics and audience when implementing a social media strategy. For some businesses this is hard, but there are so many social media platforms out there that you have to ensure that you’re spending your time on the correct platforms. What does that mean? It means you need to be where your audience is. Each social media platform has a variety of demographics and can often times inform you as to who is using them. For instance you’re friend might own a clothing boutique and might be social on Facebook and Pinterest, and that might work with their strategy, but that doesn’t neceessarily mean it’s right for your business. You may determine that you need to be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube. Maybe you’ll determine you need to be involved in others as well.

Everywhere you look on the internet, people will say that “Content is King”, and yes it is. It doesn’t do any good to implement an amazing strategy if your content is boring. I look at social media similar to that of starting a business. Some fail and others don’t. The reasons can be many, but when it comes to social media it comes down to content and consistency. You have to ensure that you provide intriguing information that people what to read. One very important tip is to remember that social media engagement isn’t all about you and your business. The object is not to push your products and services but to provide helpful information that your readers want or need. If they have a problem, provide a solution. Provide tips and tricks on information that’s related to their needs.

Consistency is also top on the list of importance. Clients sometimes will tell me that social media has never worked for them and that it has bee a waste of time. When I ask what they’ve done with it or how they’ve used it, many times the answer I get is, well we made a Facebook page and no one has liked us. We signed up on Twitter and no one has followed us. Unfortunately social media is about engagement. You can’t just login and signup and do nothing. You have to engage. Be sure to always respond to those that engage with you and build a following.

If you’re going to use social media platforms then you need to set some time aside each day to manage it. Schedule a half an hour each day or every other day and engage. The rewards will not be immediate, but they will come and they will be worth it.

Related articles

• Casey Gollan’s Latest Guide to Using Social Media for Business (prweb.com)
• 5 Must-Haves for Social Media Management (staples.com)
• How To Create A Social Media Strategy That Makes Sense For Your Bottom Line (socialtimes.com)
• Social media trends 2013 (slideshare.net)
• S.M.A.R.T. Goals in Social Media (socialmediaclub.org)
• Your Social Media Marketing Strategy: You Have One, Right? (21stcenturysmm.com)
• Brand Presence: How To Choose The Right Social Media Platform For Your Brand (businessinsider.com)
• Using Pinterest in Your Marketing Strategy (business2community.com)
• The Top 10 Tips To Boost Your Event Through Social Media (benchmarkemail.com)