sdfsdSocial Media: Do You Understand It’s Value?

Social media is one of the biggest opportunities, and biggest issues of business today. The success of a business depends upon how it is best able to utilise this medium, or risks being left in the dust. There is a …

6th July, 2015

Social media is one of the biggest opportunities, and biggest issues of business today. The success of a business depends upon how it is best able to utilise this medium, or risks being left in the dust.

There is a considerable assumption in terms of ‘social media’ that firstly, everyone understands why a business needs it, and secondly, that they understand its value. The first step with social media – like any idea in business – is understanding why you are investing time and effort into it, and not simply doing it because you think you should.

Social media is where your potential customers reside. They are using social media for over 2 and a half hours a day. What used to be something worth your business dabbling in, is now almost mandatory for businesses. It needs to be effectively harnessed so that a business can take advantage of the media’s ability to influence customers perceptions.

Social media’s strength comes from its ability to make connections, and the information transfer which results from those connections. If you think about the idea of ‘six degrees of separation’ – that any person is six steps of less from another person by way of introduction – and then think in terms of the ability of social media to connect your customers. Suddenly you will start to realise embracing social media has incredible business potential.

Customers, don’t just stick to one channel when looking for a job. Just as you might see a product online and then go to the shop and buy it there instead. This is why social media is sometimes more difficult to quantify for a business because a purchase may come from a traditional channel such as an email or in person, but might have been prompted by a tweet or Facebook post in the first instance.

Its better sometimes to therefor to think about the marketing process as a whole, rather than in its individual components of advertising, and how social media promotes interaction with your business, builds brand advocacy and promotes customer engagement. In essence, the value of social media comes from its ability to improve your digital presence, supporting your reputation of thought leadership which will already be established by website, and engage and building a stronger relationship with your customers.

However, it’s only by planning your social media strategically that you are able to achieve these objectives and ultimately gain benefit from this revolutionary media.

 

Michael Carter

Marketing Manager

MoJo People Ltd