Social Media Marketing – Look before you leap
“Social Media” is easily one of the biggest buzzwords out there, but as more and more of our clients ask us to help them navigate the exciting waters of social media, I have to stress the importance of focusing on business goals.
For example, if sales are the goal, what good is a huge Twitter following if you’re not ultimately increasing sales? Some could argue that there are other goals, like brand awareness that are important to a company looking to drive sales. True enough, but the ultimate goal of brand awareness is to drive sales!
Setting up a Twitter account or a Facebook page are simple enough, but ultimately, a waste of time and resources if you’re not operating under a larger strategy that is pointed at your organization’s goals. I often look at social media today the same way that people did when the Internet was finally becoming mainstream. Organizations clamored to have a website because everyone was getting on the web, but after building a page, were stunned to find that users didn’t just show up.
The same thing can and is happening in social media. Someone realizes that social media is for real, and the organization decides to join the party. But after a series of half-hearted promotions there are still only a relative handful of users, followers, or fans and there’s been almost no measurable business success – despite the resources poured into the effort.
Don’t misunderstand, I have no doubt that social media can drive incredible results for business. I’m a huge fan of everything that these tools can do, and I’m versed in using them to accomplish real business objectives. I just want to remind everyone to look before you leap! An awesome Facebook page is not a replacement for a well-plotted strategy!