It’s clear that social media has grown dramatically over the last few years and that with an increase of than 800 million active users, the number of Facebook users is easily a lot more than twice the size of the entire population of the United States!
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 a few times a week.” It’s no surprise that with the an incredible number of prospective customers from all over the world using these sites, every day, that so many businesses have decided to include social media into their marketing mix. Nonetheless it also important to get an understanding of how these sites are being used and what’s involved with maintaining or resourcing your business presence on these sites. Your online footprint can stick around for years so don’t underestimate how this may affect the perception of one’s brand in the market place. Spend time upfront thinking about whether social media is right for the business.
1. Seek first to comprehend – It is very important that you understand the fundamentals of how is social media marketing actually works and how it’s being used. What are people and businesses doing with social media marketing? What gets them results? Some of you may be thinking, how do I do this? Perhaps Motivational Content could consider trying it out on your own by setting up an individual account, then testing a number of the features, or get 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, you could run a explore Google or on YouTube on a particular topic of interest watching 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 using it? It’s really important that you identify your purpose so you can get involved in social media marketing (or any other marketing activity for that matter). You need to work out why you are taking part. What do you expect 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 think you will be able to achieve.
3. If you decide to engage 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? Think about where your target audience would socialize online, and think about the amount of time and resources you’ll realistically be able to invest in maintaining and administering your site presence. Which ones are right for you? You will probably find that some are a better fit than others.
4. Quality Content – If you decide that social media is right for your business, carefully think about the amount and quality of information you would like to share in the web sphere. Remember it will probably stay there for some time, so you need to make sure it accurate and reliable information that’s valuable to your target audience. It must be relevant, otherwise people won’t read it.