I come across businesses that are skeptical about how effective social media strategies can be for their business. I understand their dilemma. They don’t want to invest their marketing dollars in strategies that are not going to help them extend their target market. If you are business owner or the marketing resource in the business, here are some tips on how to make a decision on whether social media is for you or not.

Is Social Media for you?

If you answer “YES” to one or more questions below, then if you haven’t already it is time for you to start thinking about adopting social media strategies in your marketing plan.

1. Do you rely on referral or “Word of mouth” to get leads?

2. Are you trying to find ways and wishing to increase online brand awareness and visibility?

3. Do you and your management understand what social media means and understand the benefits it can bring to your business?

4. Are you customers active in social media networks and very likely to join your network, when you start building one?

5. Do you have time to invest in managing your social media profiles and other social media activities and ready to engage your customers in conversation?

Next Steps

OK. You are ready to adopt social media in your business. However, there are numerous social media platforms to choose from to promote your brand. Syndicating content (text, images, videos, etc.) on multiple platforms is key to your social media campaign success. So, before choosing the platforms, make sure you do your homework on their effectiveness and be sure to allocate resources whether it is in-house or outside consultant who can help you manage the campaign on a daily basis.

Another very? important step is to have policies in place to assist you in managing the campaign professionally. Every employee in your business has to be made aware of these policies and follow them strictly, to maintain a professional image online. If you decide to have a in-house resource manage the campaign, make them go through social media training and have them get into the habit of keeping up with changes in social media technologies. This training would save you a lot of time and resources in the long run.

About the Author

Kalpana Murthy, President/CEO at WSI Plano, DBA Kriti Web Solutions, LLC. is a Digital Strategist, Consultant, Speaker/Trainer, & Software Engineer who is passionate about bringing affordable technology solutions to businesses to build online presence. Kalpana Murthy is a certified partner with Google, HubSpot, Sharp Spring, SEMRush and other digital solution providers.