Social Media is Not Free
By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent
I repeat, social media is not free. Yes, most social media tools are offered at no charge, but a successful social media campaign takes time and resources. And that costs money.
Like any successful marketing campaign, social media is really a full-time endeavor. Without tending to your community and engaging its members, a social media campaign will stagnate and die. Instead of planning for social media, many companies implement the tools without really knowing where the resources will come from. Instead of including a line item in the budget for social media marketing, they “borrow” time and resources from other departments to compensate.
When planning for your campaign, think about two groups of people — the “thinkers” and the “doers.” The thinkers are the folks who can analyze your marketing and business goals, understand your audience and create a strategic social media plan. The doers are the people, maybe even interns, who LOVE social media and are constantly tending their own social media communities. These are the team members who are going to be passionate about engaging your community and getting them excited about what you have to offer.
With a little foresight and planning, you can create and execute an effective social media plan without taking hours from other departments — and get your team excited about the campaign.
Beth J. Bates consults with Hinge on social media tool selection and strategy and helps its clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet business goals.
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Tags: budgeting, resources, Social Media
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