Starting Out in Social Media Marketing: 4 Key Questions Answered

Social media marketing is becoming hugely popular for small businesses and multinational corporations alike. But despite its increasing popularity, many are still unsure about how or why to get involved in social media to improve their online PR and marketing efforts.

Here are answers to four of the most common questions that companies ask social media agencies when they are considering whether to establish a social media presence.


1) How much will it cost?

This really depends on a number of factors. Social media marketing does not have to cost anything in terms of start-up investment. Nearly all of the major social media platforms are free to join, so the only essential investment required is the time and dedication required to run an effective campaign.

Alternatively, a social media agency can be hired to run the campaign. Social media is often very time intensive, and there is a steep learning curve involved when using it for marketing purposes. Hiring a social media agency may be more expensive initially, but the savings in time and resources, as well an agency’s ability to generate measurable results that can be used to improve the campaign, always make this the most cost-effective option in the long run.


2) When can I expect results?

There is no set timeframe on when social media will start to produce results. In theory, someone could click a link in the very first tweet, head to the company website and make an immediate purchase. But it’s only really when companies start to build up a large number of followers that they start to see a more constant stream of traffic to their web properties, and that can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

It also depends on the company’s specific objectives. Many companies use social media as a means to provide better customer service and build trust, which can lead to a more gradual increase in visitors to the company website where the link to social media activity may not be immediately obvious.


3) What are the main reasons to get started?

Improve customer service, build trust, increase customer loyalty, make contact with new customers, get real-time feedback, manage online reputation, create hype about new products and events, establish authority in a niche, increase brand awareness – all of these are common reasons to get started in social media marketing.


4) How do I get the most out of it?

When companies choose to go it alone rather than hiring a social media agency, there are a few things they should do to ensure they get the most from their marketing efforts.

The most important of these involve seeking out and starting up conversations with their target audiences, avoiding direct selling, providing relevant and valuable content on a regular basis, spending a reasonable amount of time updating profiles and posts and making sure they project a human voice rather than coming across as too corporate.

Any company that sticks to these guidelines should get off to a good start with its social media marketing campaign.

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