I have been holding several conversations recently about the value of Social Media compared to other forms of marketing. It is often thought that too large an investment of time is needed to learn how to make the best use of the tools and to get the best out of the tools. But compare it to other forms of marketing that you do. For example:
How much does it cost to take out a 1/2 page advertisement in your local magazine? It will probably start at £3000 upwards. How long is the impact of that 1/2 page going to last?
In my opinion, the advantages of Social Media over advertising are many:
- Whatever you do on Social Media will last on search engines for potentially years.
- The people that you connect with on Social Media will remember who you are on an on-going basis – you can touch them weekly or even daily rather than once a quarter in the magazine.
- You can change your message rapidly to solve your customer’s problems and help your customers when they need it rather than needing to change your advertisements.
- You can reach people using Social Media who want to talk to you and by engaging with them you know they are listening to you. How many people look at your advertisement?
Social Media does need an investment of time and money to make sure you are doing it correctly and using the right tools – but so does that 1/2 page advertisement. Which will give you the greatest return in the long term?
Would love your thoughts.