There’s no mistaking it. Social networks have become one of the most essential media this millennium and continue to grow in significance every day. There are even auxiliary sites now to help organize and optimize your social networking experience.
Here are some stats:
- Facebook has over 500 million users (far surpassing its introductory status as the pastime of college students)
- 1.5 million pieces of content are shared on Facebook per day
- 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 14% trust traditional ads
- 80% of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees
This means online social networking is A BIG DEAL, not just a passing fad. With the growing trend, social media marketing (SMM) isn’t something to sleep on. Consumers access these portals both at home and on-the-go via smartphones. Therefore, your business has the opportunity to be immediately accessible, IF you employ the correct tactics.
Breaking Tradition
Consumers now look for businesses online. The shift in paradigm requires an initial bond or familiarity prior to face-to-face interaction, whether it’s reading reviews, “liking” you on Facebook or otherwise. The new trend shows the growing expectation for companies to own more “human” qualities. Therefore, it’s critical to establish an online personality through interfaces such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress, etc.
Businesses can grow in popularity by actively engaging users with interesting, relevant content and participating in online dialogue. (That it to say, if someone comments on or involves themselves with your post in anyway, respond.)
Advertising through these social networks is not a bad idea either. The name of the game is involvement. These platforms are the new tool for brand recognition. Those who do not take advantage of social media marketing, risk diminishment because no one knows you’re out there.
Here’s the Hard Part
Consistency! While you may get caught up in the excitement for the first few weeks, keeping your business afloat often takes precedence over blogging and tweets. Before you know it, the world has not heard from you in months. Not good. Consider assigning a knowledgeable team of social media marketers to the job…Marion may know someone…
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There is also a large following of Twitter users who address the same issues every day at #usguys and #usguyschat.
People more than ever search for your name when they want to learn more about you. Having your name on all the social media accounts helps establish you on the web as a leader in the arena.
Social networking is also important for businesses to make connections with current and potential clients- people expect more out of the companies they do business with these days so traditional direct advertising and marketing is not sufficient. Plus, social networking allows businesses to be creative and have fun!
Social Networking is great for Branding.
Many people now access social networking sites on their smartphones. So it is also a good idea to have a mobile site. Need help establishing a mobile site? The awesome folks at Marion can help you get one!
There’s so much to keep up with on all these platforms, but I know it’s worth it in the end. Plus, I can’t think of a faster and more economical way to get your brand recognized.
Got a question. Is it better to have an account with every social network and try to manage multiple accounts or can my business focus on one or two (let’s say LinkedIn and Twitter) for more intensive marketing…?
Wanicia – the main there are going to be LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter but really it all depends on what exactly it is that you re trying to accomplish. You need to develop a strategy as to what you are want the social media sites to do for you. At Marion, we use all three in combination with each other and also our blog is the thing that ties it all together.
Wonderful exaplniaton of facts available here.