by Jan Lazor

Created on: May 10, 2011

If your business isn’t using social media like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin to promote your products and services, you are missing a major marketing tool. Take a break from the office, stroll through the park and look around you.

Everywhere you look, you will see people of all ages clutching cell phones in their hands, their fingers flitting over mini keyboards. When their posts are ready, a tap of the send button spins their message around the world in a matter of seconds.

If you aren’t using this powerful marketing tool, you are missing the boat.

Before you jump in with both thumbs, take a step back and study this new phenomenon. Don't start Tweeting and posting comments on Facebook, Linkedin and other sites until you ask yourself a few simple questions.

1. Do you have the time to keep up a constant dialogue with people who respond to you and your posts? The answer is probably a very big ‘no.’ That alone is the number one reason why you need to hire a dedicated individual to track and respond to the newest way to communicate.

2.  Do  you understand the social media landscape and how it works? Chances are you have been embroiled in the day-to-day operations of your business and have limited social media experience and skills. With your business on the line, do you really want to risk making a major protocol error that can bring negative feedback, bad press or possibly a lawsuit against your company due to a posting error. Chances are the answer to that is a big “no!” Hire a social media expert.

3.  Do you understand the ins and outs of the abbreviations used in texting communications? Unless you have the time to learn shorthand, turn the social media duties over to a savvy texter who won’t have to waste time learning social media etiquette. Bow to someone who already has the right skills and mindset to do the job.

4.  Do you have the time to track social media contacts to determine if they help grow your business or just take up your social media expert’s time? Let the professionals keep you apprised of the success of your social media marketing plan.

Work with them to establish a tracking method and follow up to find out if the contacts on the various social sites are driving business to your company. Set goals and work with your experts to attain them.

5. And finally, do you need to buy new equipment and updated technology to keep pace with the ever changing world of social media? If the answer is yes, you need to decide if the investment in equipment will come back to you in increased sales. Again look to your expert for advice before investing in equipment that may not pay for itself in the long run.

Social media’s impact on businesses and sales is still in its infancy. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore it as a marketing tool until it earns a thumb’s up from business groups and organizations. With the help of a social media expert, your business can benefit from the latest method of reaching your audience. If nothing else, it will get your name in front of millions of potential clients. Go for it. What do you have to lose? 

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