Just What is Social Media Anyway?

It is easy for the people who are involved in social media everyday to actually forget that there are many people out there who have no idea of what social media is and importantly how it can help them.

That’s not to say that most people haven’t heard the term ‘social media’ because with the amount of coverage social media stories receive on television, in the printed press, on the radio and obviously online, frankly it’s harder not to have come across the phrase.

Social media can take the form of social networks, micro blogging networks, video or audio content, text publishing, blogging and forum interaction. Consumer behavior has changed and now 90% of consumers trust peer and friend recommendations whilst only 14% of consumers trust traditional advertising.

Print advertising in comparison to social media is both costly and inflexible and it is no surprise that traditional advertising revenues at newspapers, magazines and Yellow Pages have really fallen off. By having a visible presence online through social media, I mean much more than just having a website, you can tap into all of this enormous online potential. With sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn you can actually find people who have an interest in your industry or business and communicate with them.

Just think how big your target market has just become.

Facebook has over 900 million active users; LinkedIn reports over 150 million users and Twitter over 500 million users. Even if you or your company communicated with only 1% of Facebook users, that is still an extra 9 million potential customers!!!

By complementing your website with an interactive blog you can engage your customers and potential customers and receive instant feedback. There are number of advantages to this which include increasing customer loyalty, free market data on how your product is performing and how your brand is perceived and the ability to respond to customer service issues quickly.

So there are numerous benefits to have an active presence online and in the social media community. Even if your business is a traditional bricks and mortar business there will still be plenty of conversation going on in your industry within the many forums online. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to listen to what’s being said in your industry, or even about your company?

Social media allows customers and businesses to have an effective real time dialogue and for those companies that can get it right the potential is enormous whilst for those that get it wrong the results can be disastrous. Social media isn’t free however, there needs to be a lot of thought, effort and time put into your social media efforts for them to pay off.

For individuals and small businesses outsourcing your social media requirements is an ideal solution. Let the professionals give you advice on the best way forward with social media as well as handle the time consuming daily tasks required so that you are free to do what you do best which is move your company forward.

Get in touch with PJD Social Media now for a chat on how we can help you and your business using social media.