Marketing Q&A: Social media

When we began contributing to The Daily Record’s business blog, we started with the first in a series of Q&A posts, offering our expertise and advice on general marketing and communications topics. Second in the series, we’re zeroing in on those looming questions about social media that remain unanswered in the minds of many business owners and executives who are newbies to the social media sphere.

1. People keep telling me that I need to be on social media, but I run a strictly B2B company. Where am I failing to see the value of it for my business?

We get this question a lot. There is an enormous amount of hesitancy from B2B business leaders in particular to engage in social media. What they’re missing is that social media is no longer “the fun thing the kids are doing.” It’s a strategic marketing tool that can actually drive business results and quite frankly, is more measurable than some of the more traditional marketing channels.

Businesses of all types and sizes are reaping the benefits of social media and if you aren’t among them you’re probably losing opportunities to reach your audience. Social media is about building relationships. If you work in a service industry, you should be well aware that strong relationships keep clients. Social media allows you to be in constant contact with your current and prospective customers–as well as influencers–and get them to understand the value your company offers.

2. How do you know which social networks your company should be on?

To figure this out there are two things you need to fully understand: 1) your target audiences and 2) the social networks themselves. First, determine where your target audiences are looking for information about your company’s products or services. Also, consider where they are “playing” online in their spare time. From there you should be able to identify the key social networks that most closely align with your target audience. As a general indicator, most businesses consider LinkedIn for reaching new employees, Facebook for reaching the mature social market, Pinterest for reaching women and moms and Google+ for reaching a predominantly male, technology community.

3. I want to have a blog but don’t know that my team can commit to it – what’s the frequency with which we should post?

We recommend that companies update their blogs every weekday if possible, but three times per week is a safe minimum.

The worst thing you can do is to launch a blog, gain readership and then leave your readers hanging. So if your team truly doesn’t have the time to maintain a blog, don’t start one. But before making that decision, consider hiring established bloggers who are knowledgeable about your field to participate as contributors. No matter how you get it done, if the content you share is strong and original and the blog is well designed and user friendly, the investment will pay off in positioning your team’s thought leadership.

Have a question of your own? We’re listening! Just post your question in the comment section below or send it to us via email at [email protected]