Why Should You Use Social Media Marketing?

By Kamea Zelisko

As a marketing and communications company, we often get asked the question, “Does social media really work?” So we’ve decided to address this issue in a series of upcoming blogs about the topic.

This first blog will be an introduction discussing why you should use social media in marketing your company or organization.

Because social media is such a new medium of advertising and it has evolved so quickly its understandable people would question its effectiveness.

Also, it’s somewhat difficult to measure its effectiveness and gauge that against other forms of advertising. And for business owners who are already tight on time, as most of us are, engaging in these seemmingly wishy washy marketing efforts can seem like an additional task that you just don’t have time for.

Metrics are available to measure the effectiveness of social media, which we will discuss in a future blog. But for now, I think we can make the case by pointing out just a few of the literally hundreds of examples of its effectiveness:

·      Politicians have been elected and ousted by social media

·      Books such as 50 Shades of Grey have been gone on to be best sellers after being published on websites and as e-books.

·      Every day people are cultivating relationships and sharing their thoughts and ideas via social media.

And in reality, getting started isn’t too arduous or time consuming at all. Just like anything, you can work it into your every day routine.

And if these points haven’t convinced you, then maybe this point will –  if you don’t engage in social media, your organization looks dated.

Just as in real life, online impressions make a difference, and social media isn’t going away anytime soon. If a company or organization doesn’t have a website and/or Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Google+ accounts, they appear out of the times, and for a business owner, that is not an impression you want to make.

If you don’t know how to get started, stay tuned for our upcoming blog offering some great tips on setting up an effective social media program for your organization.

Ok now back to where we were – So let’s say I’ve convinced you. You’re going to go out there and set up your social media accounts. Then what? Companies often ask how it works and more importantly, how it can make them money.

As humans we are naturally drawn to each other. We love to create communities. This is exactly why social media has become so popular. It was built to help connect people and foster relationships. Only this platform has a bonus to it – you are able to interact with thousands of people you would normally not get the chance to otherwise.

So like anything else, you get what you put into it. Use social media just like you would network with people in real life. Interact with your followers and fans, start up conversations and take the time to build relationships with them. Over time, just as in real life, the relationships you create and foster online can turn into working relationships.

Social media is a complicated subject matter, and we will cover some topics in more depth in our future blogs for those of you who would like to DIY. But if you find you just don’t have the time to put into it yourself, you can hire a professional instead.

Red Queen offers packages that we can tailor just for you. We do everything from strategic planning to every day posts that can help get you Twitter Followers, Facebook Likes, YouTube Views and web page visits. Check out our website to find out more.

As I mentioned this is just the first in an 8-part series we will be doing over the next little while. Here are the topics you can watch out for in the near future:

•                How to Get Started in Social Media

•                5 Tips for Quality Social Media Marketing

•                The Difference Between Facebook and Twitter

•                Why Use YouTube for Marketing

•                How to Get Fans, Followers and Views

•                Easy Ways to Use Multiple Social Media Accounts

•                How to Measure its Effectiveness of Social Media

And of course if you have any questions or suggestions on topics we should cover, just let us know!

Our blogs are now on video! Check them out here: www.youtube.com/user/RedQueenCreative/videos