Do you think that Social Media is important to your brand and business on the long term?

I think social media-mania took us back to the history's first marketing tool "word of mouth".
Of course in much higher caliber, still that is what social media does for your brand.
There are examples where facebook generated over 700% traffic to a brand's website, clearly social media is important and it's a great tool to learn more about your customers and their preferences.

For sure this kind of media on the long term can be recognized as one of the most suitable and cheapest method to use in the advertising mix.....why? First of all SOCIAL MEDIA can reach a wide wide range of audience in short time.
Second SOCIAL MEDIA can be consider as a strong tool to leave a good impact to the targeted customers.
Third if we go the cost which is the most important factor in our advertising mix we can see that social media can be consider as the cheapest tool that can give good feed back in short time.
Finally, creativity is demanded in marketing and SOCIAL MEDIA can give a strong modern creative ways to attract and influence customers.

Yes, social media is important.
But not in the way most people/brands use it.
Social media is a brilliant real-time listening tool.
It's not so much a selling platform, at the most it can spread awareness.
Most people however talk too much and don't listen to their real consumers and customers.
Before, we had to rely on focused-group discussions and other metrics to find out what consumers are thinking and how they feel.
They were often time-consuming and sometimes not very accurate.
Now, social media gives us the metrics in real-time, right at our fingertips.
All we have to do is learn how to listen.

Social media took us back to old times where word of mouth was tool to spread information, social media is not restyrict to any gender, age, community, region, sect, cast or race.its easily accessible to all. 

it is very important in today business.

because presently the world moves around technology and social media to be precise.It is a better way to get ones product in direct contact with possible customers.

It also help with reviews and opinion about the acceptability of ones product and also gives an avenue for improvement if otherwise.

Social media is a good branding and customer retaintion tool, but you must take inconsideration that you will wait for long term results.

Hello Ryan, Yes Social Media is very important in Branding because: Social media is all about building relationships, not business transactions.  

As more and more companies and brands readily include their product offers in the social media experience, a growing number of consumers have grown increasingly comfortable with the idea of social commerce.

 

According to the Social Media Marketing Report for2013, an estimated78% of marketers have actively increased and strengthened their social media channels. As more and more companies work on integrating social media into their corporate marketing and communication plans, there is a growing emphasis for creating a winning social media strategy.

 

A healthy social engagement activity helps in building communities and relationships by listening, responding and creating value.

 

Ryan, I like to explain a little more about the Social Media Success Formula for you, so that you can able to know the importance of social media and its power of branding.

 

Social media is not a temporary marketing gimmick or project with an expiry date, but a long-term commitment with invaluable benefits. It is important for organizations to recognize that constant testing and experimentation are required every so often to study the effectiveness.

 

- To make it effective, define your goals and objectives first.  Determine what are your specific social media objectives and goals and how they complement and support the overall goals of the company.

 

- Do research, and more research. Research is very important as basis for execution. This will include the action plan for the5 major social media platforms. Take time to check out what’s out there, scope the competition and understand your target audience.

 

- After research, prepare a database of contacts and content. Start establishing connections by following conversations relevant to your branding. Make a list that will identify the key influencers and power users that play important role in your industry.

 

- Start answering questions relevant to your industry, give your opinion and join a community. This will not only help you start your network, it will also help you build your reputation as an industry expert and a thought leader.

 

- Make your presence known by attending events that encourage face-to-face interactions. This includes offline events that are relevant to your industry.  

 

- Measure the results often. Check the brand presence across social media platforms, website traffic, consumer sentiment and perception towards brand, and relationships for potential partnership opportunities in the future.

 

In the joint study conducted by Facebook and Nielsen, the report revealed that the following benchmarks are used on social media for enterprise: brand awareness, ad recall and purchase intent.

 

I say that Social media engagement is Long-term. The company should focus on cultivating engagement and not on figures. The number of follower’s, likes and the size of network should not be considered as a performance indicator. There is greater value in maintaining a smaller network with regular interactions and active engagements.

 

Content still reigns supreme in social media. As stated, social media is not a place to publish your award-winning sales pitches. Posts should be clear and concise, not emotional or impulsive. It should be carefully constructed and always politically correct.

 

Social media campaigns are long-term and ongoing efforts, and work as an integral part of the company’s online presence. It is not a9 to6 weekday job. It is generally best for posts and updates are published daily, no more than7 to9 times.

 

Social media platforms should be manifested. All social media streams and accounts should be lined to all pages of the website, include all the “like”, “follow” and “tweet” buttons.

 

 

Social media profiles MUST be impeccable. Profiles are the first and most viewed page in social media platforms. But all too often, it is t he most ignored aspect. All elements, including background, images and messages should be consistent with the corporate image and brand. 

 

Thanks Ryan for providing this good question.

 

With Warm Regards

Feroz Khan Saleem