Introduction
I’m sure by now you have heard the term social media but you might not know what all the fuss is about with social media or more importantly where to start and why it is important to you.
In this guide I will define social media, describe some of the key components that you will need to be successful with your social media efforts, how to set up the major social media channels, and lastly explain ways for you to manage social media for your business.
What is social media?
Social media put plainly and simply is public conversations within established networks. These networks are made up of your friends, peers, colleagues, clients and potential clients. These networks or channels have various names such as Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, LinkedIn etc. Each is unique and useful in varying degrees to executive protection and security businesses.
Why Social Media is Important
People are spending an every increasingly amount of time on these social media channels. To give you some perspective on the time factor here are eye-opening statistics:
• People spend 700 billion minutes a month of Facebook
• 28 million Twitter users “tweet” daily
• People are watching 2 billion videos daily
Don’t take these numbers lightly. You and your business need to be having conversations on these channels. If you are not, you are missing out on a huge market share of potential clients and customers.
Social media is different from traditional forms of print media in that you are not directly pushing your products and services, but rather engaging with your customers and clients by sharing your expertise, knowledge, and experience and establishing yourself as a subject matter expert. As a result people will be more willing to use your products and services and trust other businesses you recommend.
Another way to think of social media is word of mouth marketing on steroids. Think of social media as customer cultivation. It is the only way to truly grow and prosper as a company. With social media you are listening to customers’ needs and making sure you create viable solutions.
Social media can and should be thought of as an extension of your brand. In other words you are branding yourself and your company through social media channels. If you don’t define what your brand is, others will define it for you. If you don’t establish your brand perceptions will be inaccurate – rightly or wrongly. Customers and clients will draw their own conclusions. Think about the impact to your business if you don’t control your own brand! Social media when used effectively shows your credibility to current and potential clients and employers and creates a definition of your business and brand.
For example if you are new to the EP industry and just graduated from a top tier training facility and looking for employment. The first thing a recruiter or job interviewer does when they receive your résumé is look for information about you on the internet. Recruiters will get as much information on you as possible. They will look at your Facebook page and if there are compromising pictures, derogatory status updates about your work, friends or family it doesn’t matter what is on your résumé. On the other hand, if you are managing your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn accounts effectively personally and professionally chances are your resume will slide up to the top of the list.
Simply put, social media is important because it allows you to manage your brand, communicate directly with your customers and clients, and establish yourself as a subject matter expert and put yourself ahead of your competition.
