Why Consider Social Media?
Posted: August 12, 2009
One cannot escape mentions of Twitter, Facebook and the like. There’s good reason for this. The proof is in the sheer numbers:
According to Nielsen Online, by the end of 2008 the following was fact:
The overall time spent on the Internet had risen by 18%
The overall time spent on Facebook had risen 566%
The overall amount of time spent on email was out-shined by social media use. In other words, more people used social media communities than they used email.
The Million Dollar Question is: Does your business have an active Social Media Marketing strategy and campaign?
If not, we thought it might be important to tell you that your competitors do, or will. We’re not suggesting you follow the herd all willy nilly. In fact, we’re urging you to seriously consider improving your bottom line and business longevity through serious, professionally executed Social Media Marketing.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social Media = Communication Within A Social Community
Social Media Marketing = Using Transparency and Conversation to Encoure Content Consumers to Take Specific Action
What Does That Mean For My Business?
Social communities are where masses of consumers populate and share user-generated content. Those who are the whole community use these platforms to connect and share information and content. In order to be effective, the word “marketing” might have to be forgotten and “valuable, actionable conversation” put in its place. Social media is an outlet for increasing positive brand awareness, website traffic and connecting with your audience directly.
Hi, great subject and points you made; and I wish to just add a brief thought:
You are spot-on with what you mentioned above about having a ’strategy’ for social media, marketing and networking.
A problem (in my view) is that a growing number of small business practitioners either have no documented business plan or have authored one that is heavily dependent if not completely centric on social means vs say conventional/traditional marketing as well.
I am a Voice Actor and in this field, I see this among my peers,
however this approach is prevalent enough among businesses of all types and sizes.
Social marketing needs to be just one branch of the overall marketing strategy and I believe many present as well as upstart entrepreneurs need to keep this in mind. In addition to social tools, there is nothing quite like direct marketing, reaching-out to customers local and remote as well as ‘pressing palms’ face-to-face so to speak.
Social marketing is a great thing and can help multiply & leverage one’s outreach into the marketplace however it is just one avenues of a marketing plan with a percentage relative to the other marketing avenues.
Thanks for the great blog subject….definitely a topic requiring careful thought by businesses large & small….glad you raised it.
Comment By: Daniel Goldman | August 12th, 2009