Is social media worth the time and effort?

My marketing adviser is pushing me to do more with social media. I”™m concerned about how effective it would be and the time I”™d have to put in. What is the best way to go about this and is it worth it?

Marketing in general can be frustrating, especially when you”™re getting started because there”™s usually no direct link between “do this and get that out of it.” It takes time and effort to build up presence and awareness. And it”™s important to be in many places, rather than becoming an expert at just one route.

There are lots of ways to get noticed on the Internet. Think through what you”™re trying to accomplish and set some goals. Don”™t go for the end goal of “get more sales” ”“ that”™s too remote and difficult to measure, especially early on. Think more about general visibility on the Internet, visits to your website and connections with potential buyers and referral sources.

A website is essential

If you don”™t have one, make that a priority. Hire four sets of skills: design, writing, programming and SEO (search engine optimization). These may not all be available in one marketing firm, unless that firm is larger or has a team of outsiders it works with. Beware if one person says he does it all ”“ the skills are all very different and require specific expertise.

Think of the website as a destination and social media as a way to point people toward that destination. Playing on the Internet is both a competition for grabbing attention and a community of influence. You want to get known for having expertise on a particular topic related to what you do. Then attract followers who are interested in what you have to say. And finally have people pay more attention to what you have to say than anyone else.

Invest the time

Your best bet is to set aside time every day to work on your social media program. Spending an hour a day on social media will result in fresh content for all your updates.

Start by looking at others who are influential in your field. See what they”™re doing that you like or don”™t like. Look around for blogs that relate to what your company does.

Check out key words on the Internet to see who comes up first. Note the different ways of getting noticed ”“ from having a website at the top of the search to seeing press release notices, published articles and other information sources referencing the topic you”™re looking up.

Think about the voice of your company. What”™s the best way to get the word out about your company”™s beliefs? What”™s educational or of interest to people? Do you write clients stories and case studies or do you publish research? How are you most comfortable sharing information in written format? As fact-based articles or anecdotes and stories?

Share your passion

Try to find several ways to get the word out about your company. Join Linked-In if you are selling business-to-business and then join groups within Linked-In. If you”™re selling business-to-consumer, Facebook may be a better environment. YouTube is something worth considering for either B-to-B or B-to-C, as a picture is still worth a thousand words, but that means you”™ll need video that looks professional.

Consider connecting what your company does for marketing outside of the Internet with your e-marketing. For example, if you”™re doing seminars, promoting charities or participating in events that are noteworthy, get the word out on the Internet through your LinkedIn and Facebook connections, as well as by blogging about what you”™re doing.

Given everyone”™s increasing reliance on the Internet for information, I”™d say you have no choice but to climb on the bandwagon and start to develop your own social media program. Give it time to develop. Think about it as a fun activity rather than a chore. After all, you”™re probably passionate about what your company does so here”™s your opportunity to share that passion with everyone else.

Looking for a good book? Try “The Social Media Bible” by Lon Safko.

Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., www.StrategyLeaders.com, a business consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. Questions may be e-mailed to her at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com or mailed to Andi Gray, Strategy Leaders Inc., 5 Crossways, Chappaqua, NY 10514. Phone: 877-238-3535. Visit www.AskAndi.com for archived Ask Andi articles.