Is social media important?

Is social media important?

 

Answer:  The importance or value of social media advertising and marketing varies by the business product or service, target audience, and other factors. Just like other types of advertising, it is often necessary for a business to test new advertising methods in order to obtain in-market results that indicate effectiveness. Basically, social media can be used to reach a defined target audience (media members) with a product or service or to spread the word and generate consumer interest. In theory, the more people talking about a business, the more customers a business should generate. As discussed in the information below, both Facebook and LinkedIn enable advertisers to target customers in cities or other geographic areas. Also, certain social media advertising and marketing tools are free or inexpensive. To help consider whether social media advertising may be important for your business, you can review example industry articles and discussions at websites like the following:

 

• Report Gauges Companies Approach to Advertising on Social Media: nytimes.com
• Why Advertisers Can’t Ignore Social Media: thejakartapost.com
• 7 Social Media Tactics Your 2013 Budget Needs to Succeed: clickz.com
• Getting Out There: Strategies for Social Media Advertising
• Agencies Rate Effectiveness of Social Media Tactics: bakamedia.com

 

Business networking and other social websites and blogs are new and very popular at the moment and some may be able to reach target customers (individuals or businesses) and create interest in certain business products or services. These methods are newer, there is considerable competition, and business networking and marketing results will vary by situation based on various factors. Basically, you would have to research and then test this type of advertising with the geographic, keyword, and other targeting tools in order to determine if it reaches your target audience or otherwise can be effective for your business. These websites generally have explanatory information for business advertisers on their websites. You can begin your research of business and social networking websites with the following popular websites:

 

• Facebook Advertising: facebook.com
• Linkedin Advertising: linkedin.com
• Twitter 101: twitter.com

 

Example tips on getting people to join a Facebook page:

 

• Tips to Get People to Join Your Facebook Fan Page: smallbiztrends.com
• How to Use Facebook for Growth: hubspot.com

 

Groups:

 

• Facebook Groups: facebook.com
• Meetup: meetup.com
• Google Groups: google.com