Social Media - is it really that good for my business?

I've met and spoken with a fair few business folk that think having a FaceBook page puts them at the cutting edge of things, and some business owners who don't use any form of social media at all, saying it's a waste of time.  I've got two things to say about that. 

 - Firstly, if you don't think social media has any effect on your marketing then you really don't understand it or what it can do when done well.  And just having a FaceBook page that no-one sees is not effective advertising!

You wouldn't shrug off TV, print or radio advertising so easily, so why shrug off the new age of promotion? 

- Secondly, you might be right about it being a waste of your time - but that doesn't make it a waste of your company's time and money.  If tinkering with the Internet is not your thing, get someone else to do it - pay someone reputable to create the basics for you and show you what to do, then take over from there - or, if you really don't want to faff with computers - get someone to do it all for you - your FaceBook, your Twitter, your blog, and so on.  Pay someone to be the face of your company on social media.

If you do go down the route of paying someone to do your social media for you, make sure you have specific achievements in mind - higher visibility and sales.  Be sure you are told clearly how performance will be measured, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Anyone can shove a few things on the Internet - for them to be effective, they have to be done in a planned and targeted way and should produce results that can be seen.

Whatever you do, don't be afraid to embrace social media for your company, or you will find yourself increasingly left behind.

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