How to Leverage Social Media for your Business

• In order for social media to work for a business, there must be a commitment to invest both time and money. Social media is not a quick, easy or cheap marketing effort in the beginning. It requires a team of skilled individuals to execute effective campaigns. It may be necessary to train people to manage social media accounts in a productive way. Outsourcing this function could lead to increased costs, and does not guarantee a team that is dedicated to promoting your business.

• Though the concept seems simple, you need to conduct research to determine whether or not social media is viable for your business. The good news is that you can use social media to do it. Monitor your customers’ use of social media. Pay attention to their reactions to social media marketing. Check out your competitors’ pages and note the responses to their activity. Identify what they are doing well and what has room for improvement. This information will become your toolkit, informing your social media strategy.

• Crawl, walk, run, fly is a four-step framework you can use to implement social media in your marketing plan. It begins with the building of a team and the development on content. The brand voice then needs to be established. All content published must be consistent in voice and tone. The process should engage all partners. In the final stage, employees, partners and customers should be connected through social innovation and integration.

When leveraging social media for your business, be sure to do your homework. Learn as much as you can through research and observation. Set clear, realistic goals and measure regularly to keep track of your progress. Ensure that you are social on your social media accounts and not simply talking at your audience. Avoid taking shortcuts. Put in the time to get the desired outcome.