5 Questions About Social Media Marketing

The world of social media fascinates and scares companies. There are those who attribute miraculous powers to triple sales with a single post and those who think it is just a huge waste of time. Who's right? In this article, we try to clarify some questions by answering some of the most common questions about social media marketing for companies and social media management.

Are social media really essential?

The first question, the one that is asked most often, is whether social media are truly indispensable for companies. Can an activity today, in 2018, not have a Facebook page? Is the Instagram profile essential for all companies? The answer is: it depends.

But how, an article that wants to answer doubts and questions and starts with a depends? Yes, because in social media marketing, but also in web marketing more generally, it is difficult to give absolute and valid answers for everyone .

A shop is very different from a company that produces glasses, an activity that works only in the province of Belluno is different from another that instead trades with foreign countries, a hotel has different needs from a car dealership; a family-run business is different from a multinational company.

We let you go on with the list yourself, imagining  how many and what types of companies and activities exist on the market today . Choose a couple of the ones we have listed, or among those you have imagined, and try to ask yourself: do they have the same characteristics? Do they have the same goals? Do they have the same sales model? Do they have the same personality and voice?

Precisely because each sector and each company has its own characteristics , it is impossible to say a priori if a specific tool, such as in this case a Facebook page or an Instagram channel, is the solution. As with all instruments, the final evaluation depends on an analysis and a strategy .

Many people use them , they spend their time there, they talk about us (about us people and us companies!). Sometimes they rely on social media to choose what to buy or where to go on vacation or in which restaurant to eat ... Social media can therefore be an excellent channel where to intercept our customers and communicate with them.

Do you sell with social networks?

"Social Networks are not born to sell, but with and for people".

This means that thanks to social media you can also sell , but this is not the primary purpose and it is not so simple and immediate. If we use them as self-referential channels where we can only advertise or only showcase products, if we try to sell cold, to those who don't know us, we will hardly get great results.

We need a strategy, an editorial plan designed on the audience we want to address and the goals we want to achieve.

Which social media to use?

As with the first question, the answer is: it depends. From what? From you, from your business that has its characteristics, its audience and its objectives.

Once these points have been clarified, it will be easier to identify which or which social networks are right for you, comparing your needs with the opportunities offered by each individual channel .

Do you want to focus on visual content? Instagram will probably be for you. 

Do you want to provide customer service? You may want to consider Twitter. Do you want to offer content, have a dialogue channel, increase the knowledge of your brand? Facebook could help you do this. 

Conditional obligation because, as we will never tire of repeating, we can give a precise answer only if we know in depth the company, what it wants to achieve and the context in which it operates.

By making a careful analysis of characteristics, objectives and targets first, it is possible to make strategic and non-social decisions that are in fashion at the moment, on the social where 'there are all and I must be there too', on the social that ' to my friend who has an activity it has brought so many results. '

Is internal or external management better?

By now you understand it, it depends. Both are valid solutions and both methods can work well.

Also in this case you have to start from an analysis of your reality: do you have one or more people internally who can deal professionally (attention that doing social media marketing does not mean taking a photo with your smartphone and publishing it!) Of social management? 

Do you have a resource, already trained or to be trained, that can dedicate the right time to the study of an editorial plan, to the writing of the posts, to the monitoring and analysis of the activities?

If the answer to these questions is yes, you are in the best position: you have a person who knows the reality he works for well, the field in which he works and who knows how to communicate all this externally through social media.

If you lack time or professionalism,  you can choose to rely on an external figure . In this case too, however, take time into account: the external consultant will need to know and understand who you are and what you do and to share a strategy based on your goals.

Social media are free

Membership in social networks, or at least to the main ones, is free , both for people and for companies. With your work you can open a channel for free on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Google My Business.

Be careful though, simply being present on a social network (because signing up costs nothing) does not mean using it as an effective marketing tool. To take advantage of all the opportunities offered by social networks to companies, you must provide a budget . To make paid advertisements, but also simply to manage the channel, resources must be invested to obtain results.

Dealing with social networks only in a waste of time, entrusting them to non-competent people, acting without a precise strategy, hardly brings concrete benefits to the company. Social media are a part of the image that a company shows online , so it is important that this image is taken care of, coherent and effective, don't you think?