It’s clear that social media has grown dramatically over the last few years and that with more than 800 million active users, the quantity of Facebook users is easily a lot 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.
Personal Development 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 each day and most at least a few times a week.” It’s no surprise that with the an incredible number of prospective customers from everywhere using these sites, each day, that so many businesses have decided to include social media into their marketing mix. However it also important to get a knowledge of how these sites are increasingly being used and what’s involved with maintaining or resourcing your business presence on these sites. Your online footprint can stick around for a long period so don’t underestimate how this may affect the perception of your brand available in the market place. Spend time upfront thinking about whether social media is right for the business.
1. Seek first to understand – It is very important that you understand the fundamentals of how is social media marketing actually works and how it’s used. What are people and businesses doing with social media? What gets them results? A few of you may be thinking, how do I do this? Perhaps you could consider trying it out on your own by setting up an individual account, then testing a number of the features, or get yourself a trusted friend to show you their account and show you through. Alternatively there are so many resources and ‘how to’ items online about social media marketing, that you could run a search on Google or on YouTube on a specific topic of interest and watch the video tutorials to get informed.
2. Understand your purpose – What is your purpose is for using social media marketing? What do you desire to achieve for your business by it? It’s really important that you identify your purpose so you can get involved in social media (or any other marketing activity for that matter). You need to work out why you are engaging. 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 take part in social media, which sites are best for you personally? – With the plethora of social media sites available, which ones are best for the business? Consider where your market would socialize online, and take into account the amount 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 – If you decide that social media is right for your business, carefully consider the amount and quality of information you intend to share in the web sphere. Remember it’ll probably stay there for a long period, so you need to make sure it accurate and reliable information that is valuable to your market. It has to be relevant, otherwise people won’t read it.