If you are one of those people who (mistakenly) thinks Social Media is just a fad that will soon start to lose its luster, you are in for a (BIG) surprise. Social Media continues to play an integral role in our everyday lives, both from a personal and professional standpoint.
According to a recent poll from Effie Worldwide and Mashable, 70% of marketers plan to increase their social media budget by more than 10% in 2011. So what does that mean for businesses? In my opinion, you better get on the fast track if you haven't already factored social media into your marketing budget this year.
Just a few key components to consider when it comes to social media:
- You first need a strategy in place in order to achieve (and maintain) an effective online presence. This will take time and effort and should be the foundation of your social media plan.
- Once you have a solid strategy, you should create pages in the main channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Note: If you already have pages, I encourage you to revamp and customize them to look as clean, updated and professional as possible. There are many new and exciting options available today that were not available a year ago. You will want to research and understand your options (i.e. custom tabs in Facebook, LinkedIn Company pages, etc.)
- Consider who will be managing your channels, how often that individual will be posting and how negative feedback will be handled or addressed.
- How will you gain more "Likes on Facebook", "Followers on Twitter" and "Connections on LinkedIn"? Part of your overall strategy ought to be focused on what you will do to stand out in the crowd of social media competition.
Remember, many of your competitors will increase social media spending in 2011. Will you?