Social Media Marketing: Is It Really Worth It?

When it comes to any form of marketing or promotion, the first question that every business owner should ask is “Is it worth it?”

In other words, what’s the ROI?

Funny thing is that with all the buzz related to Social Media Marketing, people are jumping onboard left and right without actually considering the outcome.

You see, Social Media is just a tool. It’s a form of “Media” (hence the name).

It’s not the magic bullet that many business owners seem to think it is, and that many Social Media Marketing Companies push it to be.

It’s still just a tool and it’s not the holy grail of advertising your business.

So what can you expect from Social Media Marketing?

1. To build actual relationships with your prospects and customers
   People buy from who they know, like and trust. Especially in today’s world. With just a few minutes a day, using Social Media you can build those relationships that turn your customers in to raving fans.
2. A way you can create viral communication and share your knowledge
   By sharing your expertise and helping others, you’ll turn casual lookers in to your own sales force. Share great information and they will happily pass it on to their friends creating a viral effect across the Internet.
3. Free research.
   Find out what your prospects and client REALLY want from you. Quickly and easily. Are you thinking about adding a new line to you products and services? Just ask your Social Media followers what they think about it. Is it something they really are interested in? What options would they like to see with it? How much would they pay for it?It’s the fastest and easiest was to do market research and you don’t even have to pay a third part company a ton of money to do it all for you. Just shoot out the question and see what comes back. Trust me, they will answer!
4. Additional methods of getting extra buzz to your website
   The goal with Social Media isn’t to get people to buy your stuff. It’s to get them to your website. That’s where they can learn more about you and buy your stuff. Once you get that mindset in place, you’ll see how Social Media is a lot more effective than you might think. Use it as a tool to create extra buzz about your latest announcement, product launches and blog posts. Get them to take notice and come to your website to learn more.
5. Customer service that will get you noticed
   One of the greatest uses of Social Media Marketing is actually for customer service. I’ve see a few companies use this method with great return. Let your followers ask you questions via Social Media. Then just answer them publicly. This gives you a couple of bonuses when done right.

First, you are sharing the information publicly so everyone can see it. If one person asked the question, chances are someone else had the same question. They will love it.

Second, by having the conversation out there so everyone can see it, you build a reputation of being active and caring to those prospects that might not have felt comfortable with you before. Therefore, you are building even more trust factor to your prospects.

Thats just a few of the ways that Social Media will work as an effective tool for your business. Just keep in mind that its not just another place to blast your promotions and pitches. It’s about building actual relationships and having real conversations with your viewers.