When I've written about organizations establishing a social media presence, I probably should have noted that social media isn't for everybody.
In fact, depending on who you are and what your business provides, you may have absolutely zero reason to jump into the social media world.
So before you start inviting contacts to be fans of your company, consider these five questions:
1. Have you identified your ultimate goal?
Are you setting up a Facebook fan page just because your competitor is? Social media was certainly once the "next big thing" -- but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for you.
The race isn't about who has more followers or fans. The race is about market share and profit margin.
And if you're able to determine tactics in social media that can ultimately help your business grow, then by all means, sign-up today...after you answer the next four questions.
2. How will you measure your efforts?
Ultimately, what are you looking to see with a launch of social media campaign? Without knowing that answer first, how can you properly launch into a campaign that opens the door for a vulnerable conversation with your customers?
This isn't a quick "grow your profit" campaign. This is a way to engage in a two-way conversation with your customers; and doing so, strengthen the bond with those customers.
3. Do you have a plan for engaging your fans?
It's not enough to put together a group of fans on a page with your logo on it. You need to know how you're going to engage them. And creating a RSS feed with your press releases isn't enough.
Give followers behind-the-scenes information, photo essays, or opportunities to improve your product. Give them something to share with others, give them something to talk about -- to you or others.
4. Are you certain you have the time and resources?
It may not take much time to upload a logo, add your company name and URL to a fan page, but that doesn't mean you're done. The hard part is maintaining an active participation with your customers. It takes dedicated time and a savvy online knowledge to maintain a conversation with your customers -- on one site or a wide selection of online channels.
Do you know the lingo -- or are you going to try to interact with prospects only to embarrass yourself?
Try this quick test: if you're not familiar with the terms, "RT," "URL shortener," "hash tag," "photo tags," or "SMS" you should do your homework before launching any campaign.
5. How will you react to negative comments?
Unfortunately, everybody doesn't love you. And even more unfortunate, the people who've had unpleasant experiences with your organization will seek you out and make sure their comments are heard -- by you and anybody who might be considering doing business with you.
So you have a choice -- you can moderate comments and delete those posts you deem negative (in which case, you need to run -- RUN! -- from all things social media), or you can understand that social media is an amazing opportunity for you to look at all comments objectively and learn how you might be able to improve your business.
How'd you score?
If you don't have answers to all of these five questions, it's not a bad thing, but you may want to consider another way of engaging your customers.
Perhaps opt for a more localized online forum/message board. Give your customers a way to talk to you -- and other customers -- but without requiring your active participation. Create categories of topics (product lines, industry news, feedback, etc.) and watch as your customers become your advocates.
Or simply make it easier for your customers to talk to you. Does your website have a lengthy contact form, no available email address for customers to use? Could you implement a real-time Instant Messaging component to your website so your customers don't have to wait for up to 24 hours for a mediocre, canned response?
But, if your organization does satisfy those five rules, feel free to jump into the social media world -- there's a lot to gain from all that you'll learn out there!
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