The use of social media for business is on the increase, businesses of all sizes are trying to establish an ROI using sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Question is, is social media right for every business?
Social media enables businesses to connect with consumers on a personal level that has never been so accessible before. It has established a two way communication system between seller and buyer. If you are looking to use Social Media in your business, firstly you should map out what it is you want to achieve from these sites as they are used in very different ways.
Twitter is useful for customer engagement, brand positioning and users can actively respond to you by ‘hastagging’, which is a brilliant way to search for any particular term that you want to look for.
Facebook is better for engaging with people, sharing your message, being helpful to your audience and advertising/promoting what you do. It can help funnel traffic towards your site and is a great tool if you work on the basis of ‘the more you give, the more you shall receive’.
Both sites are ideal for boosting search engine optimisation (SEO) if you know how!
When beginning the set up for your social media, decide what it is you wish to be publishing. Learn how to manage customer interaction and take the time out to pass onto staff what it is you wish to gain from using social media.
Once you have created a place for your company in the world of social media, check out direct and indirect competitors pages to help you get an understanding of which practices are being used to engage customers. Try researching different ways in which social media platforms are benefitting smaller companies with advertising and see if they would be a suitable way to help your company.
Social media is a great tool for marketing and advertising, however it will be only be as effective if you take the time out to learn how to fully understand and utilise the sites.
Article courtesy of Sammy Blindell, Social Strategist
