I have recently been researching social media usage at my internship. My assignment is to present them the fact, and propose 2-3 platform that would be beneficial to the company. They are a small business and are not currently using any social media. There is an abundance of social media information online, and after looking at all the research I have found I can’t seem to think of any reason a business wouldn’t be using social media. Here are the steps I took toward discovery the right route to take.
1) First think about communication type. Will you be using B2B, B2C, or both.
2) After you know how you will be talking to your audience, you need to find your specific target. Look at the demographics, age, gender, income, and education.
3) By now you should have a good sense of direction. You should have narrowed down you choices and now its time to measure the success of each. I did this by looking at where current marketers plan to increase their usage, or where they plan to decrease usage.
These steps should make choosing a platform, or platforms much easier for any business. The next step is to create a social media strategy. This strategy is not a one stop marketing solution, it should be integrated into a larger marketing strategy. If you choose to create multiple platforms for the company, it is important to note that a unique message should be crafted for each individual platform as the target for each varies. I recently became Hootsuite certified through Hootsuite University, a program packed with advice, tips, and best practice for all social media marketers. If this is something that excites you, Hootsuite is a great way to gain social media education, and of course a certification.
Social media marketing strategies, just another way that social media is changing relationships one site at a time.
Pictures without citation from The Social Media Examiner.