Seven in 10 companies believe in the power of social media management services in helping them connect with their market, the 2011UK study on social media reveals. More than half of the companies in the survey—and this is true for theUS as well—claim they use Facebook to interact with their clients. What’s amazing in all that is more than a third of those surveyed admit they have yet to find a tangible ROI for their social networking campaign.The last sentenceshould not be seen as a knock against social media but rather an acknowledgement that ROI should be the last instrument in measuring the success of the campaign.
For companies that don’t want to get left behind, there are two options: they can outsource the services or learn the fundamentals on their own.
Take the red pill
In the Matrix series, Neo was given a choice of a blue pill (where he stays blind to the truth) or the red pill (where he gets told about the Matrix), when companies face this crossroad most of them sadly grab for the blue pill. The instinct is understandable because everybody is afraid of something they know very little of. Fortunately, you can attend a social media training to understand why it is important, how it can be utilized to build your brand, and how to create customer feedback.
Content generation
Social media is just a platform to link you with your audience. What keeps them coming back is product substance and content. Businesses are always encouraged to blog because studies show that for those businesses that do, they are four times more likely to get customer referrals. If you are somewhere in California, Los Angeles and Sacramen to SEO companies offer trainings on how to write content that can grab the attention of blogsphere, how to get others to do the work for you by linking with the blogging community, how to get your message heard and possibly shared and re-shared.
Peeling the onion
The sheer number of so-called online marketing experts adds to the confusion. But you can always tell the real ones from the self-appointed gurus by the platforms and tools they offer. Find out if they the social media training offer courses on YouTube and video embedding, Twitter and Facebook tips and strategies, viral marketing, Flickr and Linkedln, and how to make online press releases and media relations.
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