It’s easy to send out a post or tweet whenever you need to get the word out, but treating social media like any other marketing channel means missing out on the enormous value, and ROI, it can provide.
Unlike other forms of mass media, social media is often compared to a conversation. And just like a conversation, it doesn’t work if you’re the only one talking. There are four basic aspects of social media participation:
- Broadcast: quickly and easily get your message right to the people who want it.
- Listen: find out what your market is talking about, keep tabs on what your competition is saying.
- Participate: join in conversations that are relevant to your business and brand.
- Respond: respond directly to your market—foster positivity, repair negativity.
A strong social media strategy balances all of these aspects to reinforce brand experience as well as complement and strengthen other marketing efforts. Social media is also especially effective for bolstering your website’s organic search optimization. Not to mention, everything on social media is measurable and trackable, which is absolutely key for knowing whether a campaign is converting, and ultimately calculating ROI.