It’s clear that social media has grown dramatically during the last few years and that with more than 800 million active users, the quantity of Facebook users is easily a lot more than twice the size of the entire population of the United States!

Its growth has been astronomical and today, thousands of people are posting more personal and business information online than previously. It’s happening at lightning speed with thousands of posts, tweets and uploads occurring every hour.

Recent research conducted by the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) commissioned by Sensis Pty Ltd (May 2011, p. 10) indicates, that “62% of Australian Internet surfers use a variety of social media sites, with many visiting every day and most at least several times a week.” It’s no real surprise that with the millions of prospective customers from around the world using these sites, every day, that so many businesses are determined to include social media into their marketing mix. Nonetheless it also important to get a knowledge of how these sites are being used and what’s involved with maintaining or resourcing your organization presence on these sites. Your online footprint can stick around for years so don’t underestimate how this may affect the perception of your brand in the market place. Spend time upfront thinking about whether social media is right for the business.

1. Seek first to comprehend – It is crucial that you understand the basics of how is social media really works and how it’s being used. What exactly are people and businesses doing with social media marketing? What gets them results? Some of you may be thinking, how do I do this? Perhaps you could consider trying it out on your own by setting up an individual account, then testing some of the features, or get yourself a trusted friend to show you their account and guide you through. Alternatively you can find so many resources and ‘how to’ items online about social media marketing, that you could run a search on Google or on YouTube on a particular topic of interest watching the video tutorials to get informed.

2. Understand your purpose – What is your purpose is for using social media? What do you hope to achieve for your business by using it? It’s really essential that you identify your purpose so you can get involved in social media (or any other marketing activity for example). You need to work out why you are taking part. What do you be prepared to achieve? Do you simply want to build brand awareness, build relationships your visitors or identify new sales opportunities? Be sure you be realistic about what you believe you will be able to attain.

3. If you decide to engage in social media marketing, which sites are best for you personally? – With the plethora of social media marketing sites available, those are best for the business? Consider where your market would socialize online, and think about the period of time and resources you’ll realistically be able to commit to maintaining and administering your website presence. Which ones are right for you? You will probably find that some are a better fit than others.

4. Luxury Travel Tip – If you decide that social media marketing is right for your business, carefully consider the amount and quality of information you need to share in the web sphere. Remember it’ll probably stay there for years, so you must make sure it accurate and reliable information that’s valuable to your target audience. It has to be relevant, otherwise people will not read it.

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