Social Media ain't free
Marketing your business with social media takes time and money to do really well. You're building a relationship with your customers, potential customers and advocates. And this takes real effort. Don't let anyone tell you that there's a fast way to do this. It's a commitment, so be prepared to plant seeds, water them and watch them grow before they bare fruit.
First off, be realistic about the time commitment. Planning and creating a regular stream of content that is relevant, inspiring and consumer-centric isn't easy for everyone. If you can't find the time to study the existing social conversation, extract insights from what real people are talking about and develop a voice for your brand that comes through in daily compelling content that your consumers actually want to experience, then get help. This is your reputation your playing with. And this is just the stuff you want to say about your business. Dealing with customer service questions, issues, expectations, etc. once you involve yourself in the social space is another commitment of time you need to be ready for.
The next thing to think about is money. While many are lead to believe that social media has ushered in the era of free advertising through creating conversations on freely available media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the reality is that it's such a competitive space that getting any attention at all is extremely difficult without using paid amplification within these channels.
I'm sure you want to know how much to spend. I can't tell you that, but I do have a rule of thumb that is a useful guide whether your budget is $1,000 or $100,000. Split your budget into thirds as follows:
1/3 for strategy, community management, measurement.
1/3 for content creation
1/3 for paid amplification
If you follow this simple rule of thirds you'll be covering all of the bases and ensuring that your social media marketing efforts begin to pay off faster.
You can read more Social Media Marketing content on Dave's website.
