Social media marketing is an incredibly fast-moving area. Not only is the technology developing at breakneck speed, but the social media landscape is constantly shifting as new sites, tools, blogs and platforms appear every month. At the same time, there is a deluge of new information on how to use social media as consultants and advisors clamour to develop the latest, most sophisticated methodology for social media success.
Well you know what? It’s not all that complicated. Of course, if you drill down into the detail, there is a world of options open to you, and you will one day have to sift through a lot of information in order to work out how social media is going to work best for you.
But, for now, let’s keep it simple. If you want your company to have a strong, useful presence on the social web, you need to be able to answer ‘yes’ to just three questions. Yep. Just three. Tick the three boxes and you’re there.
1. Do you have something to say?
Are you an expert in your industry? Do you know things that other people don’t? Can you – or can people in your organisation – offer a viewpoint that others may find useful, enlightening or inspiring?
Of course, this does not mean ‘can you talk about a product that brings business benefits?’ Because we all can. What it means is can you supply information about the generic issues that customers are facing, thus positioning yourself in their minds as an organisation that can help. When it comes, as it ultimately will, to communicating what your products can do, they will be more ready to listen.
Publish case study information, how-to articles, offer advice on the issues that you have seen your customers facing, and you will win new customers. Because you are the carrier of this information, you not only establish your company as an expert in the field, but you begin to make your mark on the web landscape. This increases traffic to your site, and gradually builds a following of web visitors who ultimately become either customers or influencers.
2. Do you have a way to say it?
It’s one thing having the information. But to make it available to others, it has to be put into a format that allows sharing. At its most basic form, this means writing it down in the form of articles, blogs, ebooks etc. But what if you don’t have the time? Even if you have the time, writing may not be a pursuit you enjoy or consider a strength.
We all have day jobs which usually involve getting business done – and it is tough to find time to write down what we know that might be useful to others. Even if you do have time to collect your thoughts in a blog, is this the most effective way to present the information? To truly maximize your presence in the social media, you need to provide content in the format that people need it.
3. Do you have a place to say it in?
You know your industry. You know your customers. But do you know the social media landscape? Are you familiar with the blogs, networking sites, forums that are relevant to your audience? Your customers are increasingly using social media to build relationships and glean information. But if you want to use social media to reach them, you need a presence in the right places. If you don’t know already where these places are, do you have time to find out?
And are you familiar with the technology? It’s not terribly complicated, but the short learning curves required for many different social media avenues add up to a learning mountain, and you may simply not have the time or the inclination to climb it.
Is it yes, yes and yes?
Some companies are perfectly equipped to address the challenge of social media immediately. They can answer yes to each question, and should get out there and start putting social media to good use for their brand. The vast majority, however, lack either the time or expertise (or both) to create an effective presence in the social media world. So what to do?
You can limit your ambition and simply do less. Or you can hire new staff to take on the task. Or you can do what many companies are doing and hire someone else to do it, such as a trusted third-party like your PR or marketing agency.
Either way, remember the three key questions: if you have something to say, if you know how to say it, and where and when to say it, you can gain an enormous advantage from social media marketing. You may prefer to start small and experiment a little before working out exactly how you are going to plan your social media activity. But if you do have these three elements in place, start doing something – because your competitors are almost certainly doing the same.