According to one digital marketing expert, Andrew Ballard, social networking websites are “like it or not, here to stay.”
He told the Snohomish County Business Journal that because of its ever-growing popularity, social media won’t be going anywhere in the future.
As such, companies must ensure they make an appropriate investment in their social media content. Ballard claimed: “Social networking is here to stay. The platform and channels will evolve, but it has legitimate business applications.
“Incorporating social media makes good business sense. Your social media tactics should be part of your marketing plan, which should be in support of your business objectives.”
In fact, social media can not only support business objectives, but achieve them more effectively than traditional methods, fellow marketing expert Paul Dunay claimed. He said social activities often “outperform” other methods on Marketingweb.co.za.
Despite the positive benefits, some businesses find it hard to get started with social media, Ballard revealed; though he did say that it doesn’t have to be as daunting as it seems.
Ballard suggested whittling down all of the available social media channels to find which one works best, before linking the proposed actions with the proposed objectives. He added: “Brainstorm how you can align social media tactics to your existing marketing.”
The next step is to create “compelling and captivating content” before tracking its results. Companies should remember it’s a long-term process, however, and the expert concluded by stating companies should assign a “social media champion” to encourage their colleagues to back the social media investment.
