Whatever your business and wherever it operates, one thing is clear: Your customers are online. They are interacting with their friends, colleagues, and other brands in search of information, recommendations, and entertainment. If your company is not there to answer, a competitor probably will be. That competitor will quite likely steal away the customer, along with anyone else listening.
There are many opportunities to add value and even to delight! Making that connection can help build a person's relationship with a company, brand, or representative. The relationships created are the foundation of what can eventually become an amazing marketing asset. The generation of customer advocacy.
Getting Started Online
Traditional marketing can be a drain on your funds and may not be appropriate financially. Social media is relatively low-cost and gives you a direct line to current and prospective customers. It is a trade-off however. What you save in dollars, pounds or euros, you’ll invest in time. You will need to be smart and efficient with the resources you have in order to achieve the results you want.
Here are some important things to remember:
- Social media takes time, patience and energy.
- Set yourself up for success by starting gradually, with a manageable load and schedule.
- Start small. Choose just one or two platforms to start with.
A good way to guarantee consistency is to include social media within your daily routine. Block out some time on your calendar, turn off all distractions and dedicate time to managing your social media accounts. Do this once or twice every day. In your couple of months, expect to spend a minimum of between 15 minutes and half-an-hour each day on social activities. You can increase or decrease the amount of time as you see fit.
