Questions to Ponder for Social Media Success

“One word: plastics.” That was the hot industry in 1967 when a young Dustin Hoffman starred in The Graduate. If that movie were remade today, the word would be “Social,” as in social media.

With its wide audience and low cost, social media can greatly benefit your business. But these positives are also drawbacks–businesses often get swept up in creating social media accounts without thinking through a solid strategy. Here are three questions to ask before introducing your business to the vast world of social media.

Why are you getting involved with social media? If the answer is “because everyone else is,” you need to think deeper. Social media is about creating relationships. Who do you want to connect with, and how? Do you want to increase brand recognition, generate leads, or drive traffic to your website? How will you measure success? Before you do anything else, be clear on your objectives for social media and how these objectives support your overall marketing goals.

Which platforms will you use? Just because “everyone” is on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t mean that’s where your customers are. For example, if you’re marketing to women, especially in the fashion, home or bridal industries, you’ll want to explore Pinterest. If you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field, blogging and LinkedIn may be your best options. Home builders and interior designers might want to concentrate on Houzz. Take some time to learn about the various platforms and how they can help your business. We’ll explore the specifics of various platforms in future posts.

How much time can you and your staff realistically devote to social media? Just like face-to-face relationships, online relationships require time and effort. Many companies underestimate how much time it takes to start, grow and maintain a thriving social media presence. Setting up a profile may not require much, if any, upfront cash, but creating and posting fresh content on a regular basis requires a significant time investment. It’s much better to build a strong presence on one or two platforms than to have stale content on many.