Does your business need to get social?

Business owners and managers at all levels, from SMBs to global brands, often ask me why they should invest in a social media marketing effort. It’s a fair question: many of the tools of social media were built for personal, not business, use. The truth is, there are several use cases where social media isn’t a good solution for the marketing problem at hand.

While it’s not a paid media buy, social media marketing isn’t free--there’s a resource cost associated with success in social media. If you can’t afford the manpower (either internally or outsourced) to create quality content frequently and consistently, engage with consumers, and respond to comments, then social media isn’t a good channel for you. I’d similarly never recommend a banner ad campaign for a company that couldn’t afford the minimum effective media buy, or a paid search campaign for someone who didn’t have a web design that could effectively convert visitors to leads or customers.

However, I do believe that social media is often a cost-effective and valuable marketing tool. Done properly, it can amplify your efforts in organic search engine optimization (SEO). It can improve your word-of-mouth marketing and public relations impact. It can also be a great customer service tool, improving your customer retention rates.

The right approach is highly specific to the type of business you’re in, the goals you’re trying to accomplish, and the resources you’re willing to invest. If you’re interested in talking with us about the viability of creating a successful social media solution for your business, contact us. We’d love to talk about it.