4 Tips For Social Media Marketing to Work Smarter in 2012

Social media is headed for more changes in 2012 and so is social media marketing. The control is more and more in the hands of users and there is lot of interaction going on. Many businesses got an early lead by exploiting the medium to its best few years ago. But what worked then will not work now. There are way too many users and too much noise on any of the social platforms. You may have a number of fans or followers but if your post is lost amongst the others, it does not matter anymore.

Here are 4 Tips For Social Media Marketing that will help managers to work smarter in 2012

Know what to measure

Many social media experts measure their performance with the reach and visibility they get. There are tools used to measure social media, having different parameters. If you are a social media executive you know that the higher management needs to see numbers and profit. Having thousands of followers does not mean anything to them unless there is increased number of sales. If you are looking forward to improving the reputation of the company, measure metrics like positive mentions.

Know whom to interact with

Social media marketing is all about interaction but interacting with the wrong people would only waste time. The goal is to reach out to people who are interested in the product or service you offer or in the industry in general. These are the people who might become potential customers and spread the good words for your products in their social circles. A network of right people is the biggest asset an organization can have in today’s world. Invest your time wisely and do not add unnecessarily to the noise.

Invest more than time in Facebook

Facebook was a free yet very effective medium for social media marketing. Facebook ads are also very effective and it is time that companies start investing in them to get maximum profit. While the feature is still relatively unexplored, with lower competition, chances are high. This time when you plan out your budget, keep some amount for Facebook ads. Facebook has a huge base of users and it displays targeted ads prominently on their home page. Facebook ads are a wise business choice in 2012.

Don’t keep it aloof

Managers often like to believe that social media is different from other forms of marketing and hence should work separately and independently. It is good to integrate social media activity with any other offline activity. Even though the mediums are different, the people behind are same. If you are talking about new product launches offline, there should be some mention of it online too. This also builds trust and shows the fans that the team is united and has common goals. There are many new things that will come up as 2012 progresses. We must be ready for change our tools, strategies and our minds. New changes in the technology result in different user expectations. It is time we focus more on relationship building than mere display of modern tools and technology. Online marketing is a medium where quick change is inevitable. We must go with the flow to get the most out of it. Featured Image Courtesy Ralphpaglia

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