Social media is neither a silver bullet nor a tool for you to push out promotional messages. It is about connection and commitment.
The ROI? That would come naturally if you follow your business goals and go social with the crowd.
Getting involved in social media is not about having a Twitter or Facebook page, updating it once in a blue moon, and hoping that you have a large following. Try searching for your favorite brands on Facebook and Twitter, chances are, some of the pages are as cold as a ghost town.
If your marketing department isn’t ready for social media, don’t embark on it. You might just do your business bad instead of good by neglecting your fans, leaving them hanging while you’re frantically searching for a purpose on the new media you are engaging in.
Here are some questions to test if your business is ready:
- What are your business goals?
- What is your budget?
- How are you going to measure results?
- What/where are your target audiences?
- Which social tools are you using and why?
- Are you willing to spend time interacting with your connections?
- What sort of message tone are you setting and does it suit your brand identity?
- Who is handling your social accounts and can he/she answer customers’ inquiries on behalf of your company?
- Can he/she handle a social media crisis?
Be disciplined. Don’t start until you can answer all these questions.
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Note: This post is inspired by the numerous conversations I had with professionals and friends.
