I’ve reviewed almost a dozen social media sites for you. I’ve listed all their pros and cons, but why bother with social media?

Social media is not traditional media and many business have trouble figuring out exactly what to do with it because they can’t label it. Mack Collier talks about this in his article Why is Social Media so Hard for Businesses?
“The problem that I think many businesses have, is how they view
social media. I believe many businesses (of all sizes) see social
media sites and tools as new channels to publishmarketing channels.
Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Its true. Social media is its own unique genre of marketing. It is a new way to interact with customers and clients. It is an invaluable tool for feedback, polling and reviews. Did you know even the Pope uses social media to get his message across?

So why aren’t more businesses taking advantage of this free marketing tool?
Time: Businesses think social media is a waste of time. They don’t see an instant result so they aren’t willing to pursue it (despite the fact that many forms of advertising have a time lapse). Or they are unwilling to devote the time. I’m of the opinion you either make time or you hire someone to do it for you, internally or externally because the return on investment is huge.
Fear: We fear what we don’t understand. Many business, even mainstream ones don’t feel like they are up-to-date with technology. Smaller companies are worried about the time and energy it will take to get involved.
Knowledge: Too many business just don’t know these avenues exist or–worse!–they don’t think their clients aren’t using them.
Pride: I read a study on SEO once that said that in 2006 NIKE had not optimized their website and when you searched for NIKE tennis shoes, they weren’t even in the first page of links. I’m not sure if that is the case now, but imagine not even bothering because “you don’t need more business” or “your brand is built offline”. Social media is a way to gain more SEO and if you think your company just doesn’t need it, you should really evaluate your marketing stategy and see what else is out of date.
So why do it? Check out this article about how Firefox used social media to break a world record. And if that doesn’t hit you, go to a site like eMarkerter and start researching your target audience. Then decide how useful social media can be.

Get Started: It doesn’t matter where you start, just do it. Read some of my recent reviews, find a media that matches your style and go for it. Social media will only grow your traffic, so what can it hurt?