I was walking towards my workstation in a normal work day. As I passed through other workstations, a glance at most of them showed one thing in common.
Every one of the computers there had one or, the other social media site open on it. While Facebook was the prominent one, a lot many others had Twitter and Instagram as well.
Though the debate that Social Media is interfering in the productivity of employees is still hot, a lot of companies have realized the importance of social media and is in fact promoting its use amongst its employees.
Why?
Because these employees act as their brand mascot on these Social Media platforms. And what better way of promoting your brand than through your own employees.
Social Media is the biggest thing today. And if companies don’t adopt to the changing environment, they are sure to find themselves in a difficult situation. Organizations have realized this and it is hence that Social Media marketing is becoming an integral part of their Marketing Strategy.
The Importance of taking to Social Media
With Social Media accounting for more than 70% of the time that people spend online, it was imperative for companies to take to Social Media sites to converse and interact with their customers. After all that is the place they would be able to find their customers the most. And with customers using Social Media to discuss about their experiences with products and services, it was just the right forum to find people with problems and provide them a resolution.
It had a two-fold effect – first they were able to resolve their customers’ problems and retain a customer and at the same time, they can build that trust factor in their brand. With a lot of people getting to see that the brand is serious about addressing their customers’ problems, it served as the ideal platform for new customer acquisition as well.
This led to companies looking for dedicated social media managers and firms to help them. While some of the companies found it handy to employ a full time Social Media personnel to manage their social media requirements, yet others found it better to hire a Social Media company.
Advantages of Using Social Media Marketing Firms
It is always advisable to hand over the responsibility of specialized activities to specialized folks. Just as in SEO, if you really want to see results, social media marketing has to be done by teams that have exposure and expertise in doing that. Else, it will only mean another expense in the profit and loss account.
Handing over social media marketing activities to a specialized firm has its own advantages.
Each of the social media platforms require a unique approach. Facebook marketing and Twitter marketing cannot be the same. Each platform has its own uniqueness, both in terms of the audience and how they interact. Hence both of these platforms have to be dealt with accordingly. The biggest advantage with Social Media marketing firms is that they will have dedicated personnel for each of these platforms. If you are looking for Facebook marketing services, you will be allocated somebody who is specialized in doing that. This will get you better ROI and at the same time help you in your marketing strategy as well. Same is the case with all the other social media platforms.
With the increasing salaries and employment costs, it made perfect sense for organizations who did not want to spend a lot of money on salaries for dedicated Social Media managers, to hire Social media marketing firms. These firms served as cost-effective options and with their tailor-made services, organizations could get just what they wanted for a fraction of the cost that they would have otherwise incurred in employing a social media personnel. You could also be saving a lot of money on Social Media tools as well.
Statistics show that about 46% of web users look to social media when making a purchase. This means that a strong social media strategy could mean more sales and customers for your business and at the same time, better customer retention by better targeting and instant feedback. And hiring an experienced Social Media marketing firm would take care off everything from creating the strategy to implementing it.