Can you tweet your way to business success?

The impact of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more has been so strong that companies have taken notice of the apparent benefits and are jumping onto the bandwagon in droves.

Gone are the days when marketers and advertisers ‘blast’ their messaging with little regard to the target audience’s real-time opinion and input.

Now it is all about fostering two-way communication. It is no longer about the company but about the buyers instead. By tapping social media channels, businesses are able to instantly take the pulse of the consumers so that they are aware of the state of the market and take the necessary steps accordingly.

But like many good things, these positive changes are also accompanied with corresponding challenges. First of all, there will always be something about your company that is available out there for everyone to see and interact with. It can be news and shared information or positive and negative feedback. The fact is we no longer have absolute control over our brand.

Social media is a highly opinionated realm. Everyone is a publisher and this has a huge impact on how you position your company and product.

Also, there is a need to sift through all of the noise surrounding social media. Companies must be able to differentiate the relevant bits from those that are not. At the same time, businesses must also figure out how to stand out from everyone because consumers have eventually learned how to ‘tune out’ as a result from being bombarded with constant advertisements and promotions over the years.

The many success stories of how firms like UPS, IBM or Cisco have won the hearts of their audience through the use of different social media marketing tactics. There are also negative case studies about businesses who used social media and failed.

So the question is what should your company do to reap similar benefits?

1. Start with the ‘why’ before the ‘what’
Why use social media? Setting a specific goal before you start out ensures that you stay on track with your goal and not lose sight when you are in the game. Get all stakeholders (upper management, customer support, sales) involved to ensure that you have a common goal for your organization. Regardless of whether it is for customer engagement, brand awareness or lead generation/ nurturing, stay on track.

2. Form the Buyer’s Persona
Research your audience. Find out their procurement procedures and media consumption patterns. Tackle questions like “What is at the top of their mind?” and “Where do they go to find solutions?”. Ask your field staff to weigh in too as they would be more familiar with your audience.

3. What is Your Audience Doing?
Once you have clearly defined your goal, find out what platforms your buyers are on and what they do there. Ensure that the platforms you use are aligned with those where your customers are most comfortable communicating with you as a business. Intent, not just presence, is what’s key. Many of your buyers would be on Facebook, but for personal purposes, and may not be interested in communicating with you over that.

4. Choose the Appropriate Channel(s) and Focus
Focus your attention on one or two channels to start with. You can never fully outsource social media marketing. Remember to manage your resources and time well across these channels.

5. Get Internal Buy-In
Getting upper management’s support is crucial before activating your social media initiative. As such initiatives do have some impact on your resources (not always financial), it does carry with it organizational risks that the management should be aware of.

Social media is an extraordinary tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes. When used effectively and efficiently, and with sufficient enough amount of time, thought and effort put into it, social media can truly become a solid pillar that supports your marketing initiatives.

Anol Bhattacharya, CEO, GetIT Comms