Is Social Media Worth Your Time?
Here are three things to consider:
1. Are your customers using Social Media?
If so, chances are, they mention your brand. This could be a good thing or bad thing, obviously depending on what they say and how they say it. You may think you’re home free if your customers are older baby boomers, but you’re really not. My parents belong to AARP and don’t even know what a blog is. But, they have seven children who are younger baby boomers, and most of us are on Facebook. Some of our children are on MySpace, and a couple of us are on twitter. We care deeply about the way our elderly kin are treated, and believe me, if a brand that caters to them treats them badly, our social media group will hear about it. It’s the same for millions of others.
2. Is there someone social-media savvy in your organization who also is focused on the needs of both the business and your customer base?
Many organizations have social media teams or individuals who can do the tweeting, the Facebook and MySpace updates, but do they also have a firm commitment to treat your customers as you would? If so, you can free up your time for other tasks that are just as important, and know your customers are in good hands.
3. What’s your return of investment (ROI) with Traditional Media and how does that compare to your ROI for Social Media?
Traditional media blitzes can cost thousands or even millions of dollars. Social media campaigns, if done correctly, require a minimal cost. How much does it cost to tweet a coupon?
Those are just three questions you want to ask yourself and your staff, or your PR agency. I know there are more – feel free to leave comments with your questions or ideas.
James
