SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Social Media are Websites that allow users to publish content, share information and engage in peer-to-peer conversations. Social Media Websites include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Web Blogs, and Flickr to name just a few.

Why is Social Media Important?

Consumers are getting smarter, more informed and organized. They have quickly discovered they can get better information and support from a community of users than they can from the company who owns the product or service being sold.

Consumers are increasingly using Social Media Websites to get the information they need to make an informed decision. Web-based communities, support groups, Facebook pages, Twitter streams… all of these networks are providing a new way for consumers to learn more about a product they are considering. According to The Nielsen Company, in 2009, 18% of Web users started their online information search using social media Websites. One can only expect this percentage to grow higher as social media is further embraced by consumers. Consider this, as of September 2010, people are spending more time on Facebook then they are on Google!

The appeal of social media can be attributed to the fact that with so much information available on the Web, it's easy to be overloaded and hard to decipher what is relevant and credible. As consumers tend to trust friends, they are now using social media to tap into their online friend network to learn more about products they are interested in and to discover who has already purchased it and what their experience was like.

Social Media Strategy

It's important to develop a strategy so that you can properly execute your social media plan. At the very least, your strategy should identify:

1. What are your goals and objectives (i.e., increase awareness, sales, loyalty)?
2. How does your target audience use social media?
3. What social media networks will you use?
4. Who will publish, maintain and monitor your social media Websites?
5. What internal technology limitations may be present within your organization?
6. How will you measure success?

For more information about social media or to discuss the development and execution of a social media strategy, contact Pixelera today for a free consultation.