As I have been speaking to business owners and professionals over the past few weeks, the hottest topic on everyone’s mind seems to be Social Media. People want to know what social media means to their business, how they can leverage it and if they can make money from it.
Of course the answer to all of these questions is “It Depends”… my view is that social media can be a very powerful way to get to know what your customers (and potential customers) are thinking and to provide value. In some cases a business can definitely make great – and profitable – use of social media. On the other hand, many businesses and LOTS of marketers have made a total mess of it.
If you believe evangelists like Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics, social media is changing our behaviours, attitudes, connections with our family and the very way we do business. Others argue that it is a passing fad or a big time waster. My view is that the people in the latter camp have not really invested the time to work out why they went on social media in the first place or what they have to do to make it work for them.
Getting social media right can be a huge boost for your brand and your business.
If you are considering including social media in your marketing mix, there are a number of things to think about before you start. Some of the big ones include:
- Is your audience on-line and using social media? Lots and lots of people are, but not everyone…
- What is your main message?
- Do you have a clear understanding of what is required to build an active and responsive social media following and processes in place to make that happen? Social media might be “free” but it takes time, consistency and effort to get results
- Which social media sites/tools are the best to start with? Not all social media are created equal for all purposes
The list above is not comprehensive, but it you start by answering those questions, you will at least be on the right track.
The number one, never to be broken rule for social media is “It’s about relationships, not sales”. Remember the “social” part… people will not accept being “sold at” or even “told at”. In this environment they want to get to know you, find out what you are all about and eventually – maybe – choose to engage more deeply with you. if you go in trying to sell people something on the first contact you are likely to get hammered.
The best place to start is by listening. Join relevant groups and fan pages in different tools and spend some time observing what seems to work and what doesn’t in your market. Then put your toe in slowly… the water can be cold if you jump in too quick.
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