Does it seem like everyone is a social media professional these days?
Browse LinkedIn or Twitter and the moniker of “Social Media Professional” is a common credential that is thrust front and center for freelancers. Interestingly enough there are very few post secondary institutions which offer a degree in social media given the speed with which the information changes. Consequently there are few organisations that offer professional credentials or associations that can validate the skill of a so called “social media professional“.
Can You Tell The Difference?
How can you tell the difference?
As a business owner with an e-commerce strategy you may decide to outsource your social media marketing, however finding someone with the skills to ensure results is really the key element when weighing your options. You want to find an individual or organisation that can offer “results based” performance with measureable bench marks to evaluate the performance of your social media strategy.
While all businesses are rushing in to take advantage of social media as an effective marketing tool you should be organised and prepared to measure its efficacy, weighing the value of time and expense against tangible benefits.
Clarify Your Goals
It is an ambitious goal to achieve one million “likes” on Facebook in a year. However a survey of the competition and industry landscape might show that the brand leader in your niche market has acquired perhaps twenty thousand likes. Everyone wants to make a big splash with their social media but setting realistic and researched goals is key. So if the front running company has twenty thousand perhaps your goal should be ten thousand for the fiscal year. It is admirable to be ambitious but it is productive to be prudent and accurate in your goal setting.
Design Your Strategy
Target market will in some ways impact the type of Social Media that you access. For instance the demographics of Facebook report approximately 600 million users worldwide in 2011. Almost half of those users (250 million) reside in the United States with approximately 150 million accessing the platform from a European country.
In Great Britain there are approximately 28 million Facebook users, in the social network. Banner advertising or “click to” SEM campaigns are effective within Facebook for businesses in the United States, Indonesia and the United Kingdom which round off the top three. While ongoing campaigns can be expensive, planned penetration or launch campaigns to direct traffic to your site using Facebook as a conduit are worth the investment. Source: Web Oct 19, 2011 http://www.slideshare.net
Start with a list of sites and a budget that will be allocated for social media. With those in hand a professional social media advisor can propose a structured multi-tiered approach utilising different platforms and time frames to maximize your business exposure online. A seasoned social media planner will also introduce you to other smaller social media platforms that might have an impact on penetrating your niche market such as Empire Avenue.
As long as the presentation and theme are consistent there is no reason to limit the number of appropriate social networking sites that your business is represented on. It casts a figurative wide net on a vast ocean of opportunity.
Quality and Consistency
A great logo is a memorable one. When used in a consistent manner its purpose is to create familiarity and a positive impression. When setting up profiles on multiple social media sites the consistency of your brand ensures that the same message is being sent to your potential customers. The profile information and description of your product and service should be quality writing and contain the use of keywords that will assist search engines to direct flow to your business. Excellent quality graphics if using images is important. First impressions of your organisation matter and these elements while seemingly small have a large bearing on fostering a positive response. You are creating interest and motivation for them to delve further by visiting your website.
Implement Results Based Reporting
Providing a budget for social media without stating tangible expectations is not best business practice. If your budget is devised for the fiscal year, set quarterly targets and goals that are designed to measure the success of your social media strategy. This allows you to review the value of your investment and also to tweak activities or explore other opportunities if response fails to meet your objectives within a stated time period. That said, entrance into the social media arena takes time and effort to build momentum. You are in essence engaging community around your business activities and while “Rome wasn’t built in a day” neither are quality performing social media programs. It does take some time and it is worth the investment, but noting the activity will assist you in getting the best possible results.
Anyone can engage in social media. Knowing the platforms and how to engage in them is only part of the equation. Creating results that maintain a consistent and professional brand image while driving traffic and word of mouth advertising benefits is the goal and it is achievable with a social media planner.
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