It's clear that social media marketing has grown dramatically during the last few years and that with an increase of than 800 million active users, the quantity of Facebook users is easily a lot more than twice the size of the complete population of the United States!
Its growth has been astronomical now, thousands of people are posting more personal and business information online than previously. 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 marketing sites, with many visiting every day and most at least several times a week." It's no real surprise that with the millions of prospective customers from worldwide using these sites, every day, that so many businesses are determined to include social media marketing into their marketing mix. However it also important to get an understanding of how these sites are increasingly being used and what's involved in maintaining or resourcing your organization presence on these sites. Your web footprint can stick around for a long time so don't underestimate how this can affect the perception of your brand on the market place. Spend some time upfront thinking about whether social media marketing is right for the business.
1. Seek first 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? Perhaps you could consider trying it out on your own by setting up a personal account, then testing some of the features, or get yourself a trusted friend to show you their account and show you through. Alternatively you can find so many resources and 'how to' items online about social media marketing, you could run a search on Google or on YouTube on a particular topic of interest and watch the video tutorials to obtain informed.
2. Understand Social Media Management agency - What is your purpose is for using social media marketing? What do you desire to achieve for your business by it? It's really essential that you identify your purpose for getting involved in social media (or any marketing activity for that matter). 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 customers or identify new sales opportunities? Remember to be realistic about what you believe you will be able to achieve.
3. If you decide to engage in social media, which sites are best for you? - With the plethora of social media marketing sites available, which ones are best for your business? Think about where your target audience would socialize online, and think about the period 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 will probably find that some certainly are a better fit than others.
4. Quality Content - If you decide that social media marketing is right for your business, carefully think about the amount and quality of information you want to share in the web sphere. Remember it will probably stay there for years, so you must make sure it accurate and reliable information that is valuable to your market. It must be relevant, otherwise people will not read it.
