Social Media: It’s What’s for Dinner

Well, not really. I’m not making Social Media for dinner. That’d be weird. But, Social Media is the beef. It’s the meat in the “meat and potatoes” of marketing your business.

Honestly, when it comes to marketing your company, this generation is all about what’s in front of them. That means that we’re not going to look for you in the Yellow Pages. We haven’t touched Yellow Pages in YEARS. We’re already on Facebook, we’re already on Twitter, and we have a much higher chance of seeing you there than we do hearing about you on the radio. (And, quite frankly, not that many people are listening to the radio anymore. We have iPods.)

That’s why I’ve gotten into this business. Sometimes I have actually looked for a company on the web that has absolutely no online presence whatsoever. Sadly, if I can’t find you online, I’m probably not going to use you or go to your store. If you’re a restaurant, I want to know what others are saying about you and what is on your menu. I need to see photos. I need to know that you’re relevant and something I would enjoy before I drive there.

Lazy? Maybe. But that’s how things are going.

When it comes to marketing your business, your focus has to be on the Social Media platforms. Facebook alone has over 500 million users. 500 MILLION. What about Twitter, you ask? 175 million. Your audience is on Facebook. Your audience is on Twitter. You must be there too.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Need a Social Media Manager:

1. You only have 3 followers on Twitter.

2. When it comes to Twitter, all that “RT, @, DM” mumbo-jumbo is too much to keep up with! And what is a hashtag, anyway?

3. The ad you have in the Yellow Pages doesn’t seem to be helping anything.

4. You created a Facebook fan page, but you can’t get anyone to “like” it besides your mom.

5. It takes 30 minutes just to delete all the spam!

6. How in the heck are you supposed to communicate everything you want to say in 140 characters or less?!

7. You want more exposure and traffic online in a creative way.

8. When someone says something negative about your business on Facebook or Twitter, you need someone to be available to put the fire out and make it better ASAP.

9. Your college intern is supposed to be managing this for you, but he just went back to school.

10. You simply don’t have time to play on the internet all day!

“You can be professional while also ‘keeping it real’ with your customers. By interacting with customers in a less formal way, you’ll build a strong human connection that helps build brand loyalty.” David Hauser, co-founder of Grasshopper