Social Media Marketing & Management
I ALREADY HAVE A WEBSITE AND ADVERTISE ONLINE. WHY DO I NEED TO INVEST IN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING?
Traditional online marketing is typically about “telling” what product or service you have to offer, social media marketing is about “listening” to your active and prospective customer base by reaching them how and where they interact. This lends some credence to the old adage, “give the people what they want and they’ll come out for it”.
Progressive companies worldwide are investing in social media to improve customer relationships, create interaction, and increase brand awareness. Engaging people via these two-way communication tools, allows the customer to be known and appreciated. This connection generates online buzz as the content and messages travel virally throughout the social networks – a digital equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising. By creating a more personal experience for the consumer, businesses build trust, earn priceless credibility and gain a loyal following.
Social media marketing provides new ways for small and large companies to create or enhance their online presence, and should be an important part of their overall marketing strategy. Businesses leveraging the power of social media marketing now, are gaining a distinct competitive advantage over those who are taking a passive approach to this social web thing.
WHY HIRE A SOCIAL MEDIA / COMMUNITY MANAGER?
Social Media Marketing differs from other forms of traditional marketing in that it is an ongoing commitment. Stretching far beyond the creation of one ad campaign, social networking is a lifetime investment in customer relationships. For some companies, this can involve a greater time commitment than they have the manpower to allocate to, but not enough to warrant creating a new position in-house.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SOCIAL MEDIA / COMMUNITY MANAGER?
Keeping in mind that a primary goal of social media marketing is also about building and advancing your brand, you would benefit from hiring someone with a good understanding of marketing who has vision and creativity.
Once your objectives, target audience, and message have been identified, partner with them; give them a bit of latitude to communicate, interact and adapt.
