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08.24.09
Enterprise Benefits Of Adding Social Media To Your Arsenal
 By Patrick Hare
The short answer is yes, people really do find things on social media sites. If you're an individual, this can be a very bad thing since your personal life can make the national news.
If you're a company, this can be good news, because a devoted list of followers can help you make sales, stay in touch with customers and suppliers, and help you get an opinion on products or services before you roll them out. You can even identify customer problems before a crisis occurs.
Instead of paying for a focus group, you can show pictures and descriptions of new items, get buy-ins from current (and potential) customers, and even solicit information about what features people really want to see. Whether you're using Facebook or Twitter, you can send out information about what you're doing, if your company is going to be at a certain convention, or even that you're going to be in town on a certain day. By building an audience with social media, many companies are becoming more flexible and picking up customers through channels that traditional marketers haven't considered.
One factor to keep in mind with social media is not to overdo it, whether you are an individual or company. In the same way that people can get bored with tweets about mundane things like "going out for a coffee," or "bought new stationery," people will not be able to filter out interesting news if they are getting a stream of common updates. Whenever possible, your social media updating should be interesting and relevant, so your followers keep following and your presence stays current in the minds of your clients.
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About the Author:
Patrick Hare has been managing online and offline marketing projects since 1999. From 2005 to present, he has been with Scottsdale Arizona's Web.com Search Agency (formerly Submitawebsite). Patrick provides Search Engine Optimization and Marketing advice to in-house customers and Web.com Jacksonville’s web design group.
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