It’s clear that social media has exploded dramatically during the last few years and that with an increase of than 900 million active users, the number of Facebook users is easily more than twice the size of the entire population of the united states! Its growth has been astronomical and after this, millions of people are posting more personal and business information online than previously. It’s happening at super speed with thousands of posts, twitting and uploads occurring every hour.
Recent research conducted by the Foreign Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) commissioned by Sensis Pty Ltd (May 2011, p. 10) indicates, that “62% of Foreign Internet surfers use a variety of social media sites, with many visiting every day and cheapsmmpanel most at least a few times a week. inch It’s no surprise that with the millions of potential customers from all over the world using these sites, every day, that so many businesses made our minds up to include social media marketing into their marketing mix. However it also important to get a knowledge of how these sites are increasingly being used and what’s involved in maintaining or resourcing your business presence on these sites. Your online impact can hang around for a long time so don’t underrate how this can affect the perception of your brand in the market place. Invest some time in advance thinking about whether social media is right for your business.
Seek first to understand — It is very important that you understand the basic principles of how is social media really works and how it’s being used. What are people and businesses doing with social media? What gets them results? Some of you may be thinking, how do i do this? You may could consider trying it out for yourself by setting up a personal account, then testing some of the features, or get a trusted friend to show you their account and guide you through. Alternatively there are so many resources and ‘how to’ items online about social media, that you could run a search on Google or on Youtube on a particular topic of interest and watch the video lessons to get informed.
Understand your purpose — What is your purpose is for using social media? What do you anticipate to achieve for your business along with it? It is certainly important that you identify your purpose when getting involved in social media (or any other marketing activity for that matter). You need to work out why you are contributing. What do you expect you’ll achieve? Do you simply want to build brand awareness, engage them or identify new sales opportunities? Be sure you be realistic as to what you think you will be able to achieve.
If you engage in social media, which sites are best for you? — With the plethora of social media sites available, the ones are best for your business? Think about where your target audience would play games online, and look at the amount of time and resources you would realistically be able to agree to maintaining and giving your site presence. The ones are right for you? You might find that some are a better fit than others.
Quality Content — If you decide that social media is right for your business, carefully consider the amount and quality of information you want to share in the online sphere. Remember it will probably stay there for a long time, so you have to be sure it accurate and reliable information that is valuable to your target audience. It has to be relevant, otherwise people will not read it.