There is no denying that Social Media is taking up a large amount of time spent online. The number of people using social media websites is huge and has led to increased interest in the growing field of social media marketing. As we see more and more small businesses include social media strategies in their business development plans, we continually look for new and innovative ways to manage social media campaigns that drive real business for small business owners.

img src="/blog_images/1.jpg"

The world is becoming more interconnected and organizations that want to succeed in this new environment need to become more connected as well.

How can we work together better? How can we pool our knowledge to improve results? How can we make processes more efficient, while delivering personal service when it matters most? How can we manage the flood of information that’s overflowing our inboxes, our mobile phones and our lives?

How can we manage all of these relationships?

Without quantifiable goals, small and midsize businesses risk chasing ROI right down the drain…

It is about time small and midsize businesses got serious about social media – and that means planning. Without a plan, most businesses would be better to scrap their social programs and focus their resources elsewhere. Without quantifiable goals – no matter how basic, there is no way to determine if there is a benefit from their efforts or if they are simply wasting time.

Don’t Push –

Pull The Market To You!

Today, everything moves fast and changes rapidly. Getting your busy target audience to tune in – to hear, understand and believe your organization’s value – is a daunting challenge. As markets grow increasingly efficient and competition accelerates, failing to apply best practice solutions to your marketing deliverables can be disastrous.

Social Media & Games Dominate Online Activity

Americans spend ¼ of their online time on social networking sites and blogs, which is up from 15.8% just a year ago – a staggering 43% increase according to research released last August from The Nielsen Company.

Nielsen says that Americans spend a 1/3 of their online time – 36%, communicating and networking across social networks, blogs, personal email and instant messaging. Also according to Nielsen:

Social media is the new “buzz phrase” in marketing today, and small business owners are anxious to get started. Unfortunately, most do so without a clear plan of attack or a stated goal. Jumping in and using these social networking sites without a plan will lead to wasted time, frustration and eventual abandonment of what could be a very valuable asset. It’s important to understand that social networking sites are simply tools you can use to grow your business.

In today’s global business environment, strategic communications are no longer a luxury – they are a necessity. You might call it stakeholder relations. You could simply call it marketing. It is all of these things, but at its core it is actually much simpler – it’s telling your story.

Three keys to communicating successfully are:

· Knowing what you’re trying to achieve;
· Planning ahead and sticking to the plan, and;
· Doing the research and using what you’ve learned.

And that’s all before you even put pen to paper!