It’s clear that social media marketing has grown dramatically over the last few years and that with more than 800 million active users, the amount of Facebook users is easily a lot more than twice the size of the entire population of america!
Its growth has been astronomical and today, millions of people are posting more personal and business information online than ever before. 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 each day and most at least several times a week.” It’s no surprise that with the an incredible number of prospective customers from everywhere using these sites, each day, that so many businesses are determined to include social media marketing into their marketing mix. However it also important to get a knowledge of how these sites are 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 may affect the perception of one’s brand on the market place. Spend time upfront thinking about whether social media is right for your business.
1. Seek first to comprehend – It is vital that you understand the basics of how is social media marketing really works and how it’s used. What exactly are people and businesses doing with social media? What gets them results? Some of you may be thinking, how do I do this? Perchance you could consider trying it out on your own by setting up an individual account, then testing some of the features, or get yourself a trusted friend showing you their account and guide you through. Alternatively Private Jet Travel 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 specific topic of interest and watch the video tutorials to obtain informed.
2. Understand your purpose – What’s your purpose is for using social media marketing? What do you hope to achieve for your business by it? It’s really important that you identify your purpose for getting involved in social media (or any other marketing activity for example). You need to work out why you are engaging. What do you expect to achieve? Do you simply desire to build brand awareness, engage with your customers or identify new sales opportunities? Be sure you be realistic about what you believe you will be able to achieve.
3. If you decide to take part in social media, which sites are best for you? – With the plethora of social media marketing sites available, which ones are best for the business? Think about where your market would socialize online, and take into account 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 are a better fit than others.
4. Quality Content – If you decide that social media marketing is right for the business, carefully think about the amount and quality of information you would like to share in the online sphere. Remember it’ll probably stay there for years, so you need to make sure it accurate and reliable information that is valuable to your market. It has to be relevant, otherwise people won’t read it.