Does Your Business Need Social Media? Part 2

Social Media

Last week, we talked about a few key things to think about when deciding if social media is a business need for you in our article, Does Your Business Need Social Media: Part 1.

• Are all of these social networks right for your business? If you have a local business with a location customers can visit, you need Google+ because it integrates quite well with Google Places and gives you a local presence. If you operate completely digitally, you might not need Google+, but that’s all the more reason you should have a presence on Twitter and/or Facebook. Do some quick research and figure out what networks are right for you.

• Are your customers using this social network? Quite simply, if your existing and potential customers aren’t on the social network you’re targeting, it’s probably not worth it. That seems like common sense to most people, but there are plenty of businesses that have, pardon the pun, no business being on Pinterest. Yes, you’re increasing your visibility and presence, but is it at the expense of doing something more in line with your core business proficiencies?

• Do you have the time to manage these social networks? If you want to do it yourself and succeed, you should expect to spend at least a few hours a week managing your social media properties. If you can’t handle that kind of time commitment, focus on just one social network for now.

• Can you afford to pay someone to manage the social networks? You’re running a business. You want to expand without sacrificing existing service and satisfaction. If you aren’t prepared to make the time commitment–or you want additional expertise in the field–consider hiring someone to run your social networks for you. [Not to toot our own horn or anything, but we can help.]

• What is your return on investment for being involved with these networks? Increasing your visibility and your online reach is phenomenal, but it doesn’t pay lights-on costs. You need a measurable return on your investment in order to make social networks worth it. Keep in mind that things like increased customer satisfaction, decreased customer support response time and infrastructure costs are actual returns on investment–they’re just harder to measure.

At the end of the day, managing a brand/business presence on a social network has requirements similar to running a blog. Be your business. Tell a story. Update regularly. Tie everything together. Have fun with it. The potential returns are immense, just make sure you don’t bite off more than you chew from the get go.