Having Social Media “Work for you”

Social Media has increased in popularity over the last year, especially in terms of businesses adding them into their marketing mix.  In a recent study done by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing; 49% of Businesses polled in 2008 utilize Social Networking. In 2009 that same group increased to 80%. In that same study they found that in 2009 52% of those businesses utilize Twitter. Interestingly, In 2008 they didn’t even ask about Twitter. So the trend of adopting social media into normal business practices is definitely increasing, but once you have it setup are you executing and maintaining your social media campaign so it works for you?

Most companies that I come across have some sort of social media presence, they just don’t have the time to continually update it or just don’t know how or what to do to make their social media sites work for them. I always tell them to think of your social media sites as an extension of your marketing mix. If you send out a weekly newsletter via email to your customers, well put that same newsletter on your Twitter or Facebook Fan page. If you write a monthly blog, again post that on your social sites as well. All of this helps increase your marketing reach and starts your social media sites working for you. Of course when you do all of this you will want to track your links, but that’s a whole other blog I will get into in the near future.

Remember you aren’t trying to hard sell your fans or followers. Rather, you are trying to build a community, create a “voice” for your company, and become a trusted source of information in your field. When I say “voice” that doesn’t always mean speaking, as it’s very important to listen to your community as well. Why “follow” someone on Twitter if you aren’t interested in what they are posting. If someone you are following posts something interesting or it relates to your business then let them know. Respond back to their posting letting them know you liked it or what your thoughts are on the issue or “ReTweet” so your followers can see the posting or article as well. Trust me, they will most likely return the favor on the “Retweet”, it’s like Twitter etiquette, and if they have a large number of followers well then viola! The power of Twitter is now working for you as all his/her followers can now potentially view your posting and if interested follow you.

These are just a few examples to help your social media campaign work for you. Feel free to shoot us any other questions you might have or follow us at www.twitter.com/TrevNetMedia. Also, let us know what’s working for you we would love to hear your input.