subject: Is Social Media In Marketing Really A Quick Fix? [print this page] Many People Believe That Social Media is a 'Quick Fix'
Many people believe that using social media in marketing will give them a 'quick fix' in terms of their reach and therefore their sales. They believe this because of all the hype about social media use without really understanding how it works. A lot has been said about social media marketing without substantiation, without the facts.
Ironically, social media in marketing takes time. It's not a quick fix and if you believe that you'll be wasting your time.
Using social media to good effect i.e. to the point where it actually yields sales for your business is not easy. Like with any marketing tool you need to know what you're doing.
We see many people who believe that just having a Facebook page or a Twitter account and website is enough to drive the kind of activity that we achieve for our clients. It may be in the short term but, down the line, you'll see that activity and response rate drop.
This is because you need to start your campaign - like any other marketing campaign - with a concise and workable strategy. Even Twitter requires a strategy. What is the point of pumping out tweets if you haven't yet determined who you're trying to reach, where you want to send them, what action you want them to take on reading your tweet. All you're doing is wasting time and annoying other tweeters.
Despite all popular belief, Facebook requires skill and knowledge of how to use the apps, create tabs and where and when to post. Do you post on others walls, blind post, like every page you can find or just those recommended by your audience/community. How do you get more people to 'like' your page? What kind of status updates should you post? What action do you want people to take? Where are you driving them to?
Developing campaigns online is quick to do once a strategy is in place but not quick in terms of delivery. Remember how long it takes you to get to know someone? It's the same here, it takes time for a community to learn to trust and that's your job when you use social media. Developing trust is one of the more difficult aspects of social media marketing and it isn't done overnight. It also isn't done on one social media tool.
Social media tools work in tandem. They each have a very definite function and address different types of people in different ways. Facebook is a sharing tool but a lot of people use it as a networking tool. Twitter isn't just a chat tool. It's also used for research and driving traffic to specific destinations. A blog isn't just another website, it's a media rich and interactive hub for all your online activity.
To learn to use these tools properly and apply marketing principles takes time. We understand that today's social media users are often misled by those who are looking to make a 'quick buck' out of the trend. One thing to ask yourself is why, if it's so easy, are the major brands actually employing teams of experts to handle their social media marketing or, if you prefer, how come your business hasn't yet managed to make money out of the social media efforts you are employing.
