It’s clear that social media marketing has grown dramatically during the last few years and that with more than 800 million active users, the amount of Facebook users is easily more than twice the size of the entire population of the United States!
Its growth has been astronomical now, millions of people are posting more personal and business information online than ever before. It’s happening at lightning speed with thousands 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 users use a variety of social media 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 around the world using these sites, each day, that so many businesses are determined to include social media marketing into their marketing mix. Nonetheless it also important to get an understanding of how these sites are increasingly being used and what’s involved with maintaining or resourcing your business 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 your brand in the market place. Spend some time upfront thinking about whether social media is right for your business.
1. Motivational Content to understand – It is very important that you understand the fundamentals of how is social media really works and how it’s being 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? 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 guide you through. Alternatively you can find 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 particular topic of interest watching the video tutorials to obtain informed.
2. Understand your purpose – What’s your purpose is for using social media? What do you hope 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 example). You need to workout why you are taking part. What do you be prepared to achieve? Do you simply desire to build brand awareness, engage with your visitors or identify new sales opportunities? Remember to be realistic about what you think you will be able to accomplish.
3. If you decide to take part in social media marketing, which sites are best for you personally? – With the plethora of social media sites available, those are best for your business? Consider where your market would socialize online, and think about the period of time and resources you’ll realistically be able to commit to 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 the 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 must make sure it accurate and reliable information that is valuable to your target audience. It must be relevant, otherwise people will not read it.