5 Steps to make Social Media work for you

Social Media is the buzz word that has taken the business world by storm. In the fond of hope drastically improving customer acquisition, many organizations, both big and small, are now rushing to accommodate “social media” in their marketing strategies and budgets. Although there is a lot you can benefit from a good social media marketing strategy, it is unwise to nose-dive into the social media scene without being thoughtful about how it can benefit your business. For example, it wouldn’t too effective for a B2B company to harp about their products and services on Facebook, but a B2C company can definitely gain a lot of traction from high Facebook activity.

Here are 5 steps figure out the right social media footprint for you:

1. Understand your Customers’ Online Activity: Do some customer research on which sites or communities house your potential customers. Uncovering the networking sites or communities your customers frequent will help you decide which part of the social web you want to be strongly present in.

2. Explore Different ways you want to make a presence: While social media platforms such as Facebook offers you a number of ways to creatively engage your target customers, LinkedIn limits the ways in which you can create a presence for yourself. It is important to understand what you can do with each of these platforms to be able to make maximum use of them.

3. Strategize how you will create meaningful content: Certain social media platforms such as You Tube and topic-specific discussion communities can be used to your advantage only if you can put together creatively designed content to indirectly advertise your products or services. So figure out who can help you create this content.

4. Acknowledge the kind of involvement required: Creating and maintaining your blogs and pages requires daily involvement. The sooner you choose to acknowledge and act on this fact the more effective your Social Media strategy is likely to be.

5. Check whether collaboration is a good option for you: If IT isn’t your core capability, scout for agencies that help achieve the social media presence you strive to create. Also, make sure that you work with agencies that have the expertise and the experience to help you actualize your vision.

With these pointers in mind, you are now all set to create a unique useful presence in the Social web that will help you grow your business.