Tell Hetrick

Prior to 2004, companies and organizations who wanted to get their messages to consumers and supporters had to go through some kind of middleman—buying advertising or using public relations to build awareness of products and services.

But by 2004, Web 2.0 had taken hold, and people began to discover they didn’t have to send or receive their information or entertainment through a third party. Instead, they increasingly used the Internet to talk directly to one another, in chat rooms, on blogs, on message boards and list serves, and on personal websites.

In other words, people who were consumers of media also became their own media outlets. And that is the essence of social media: exchanging news with customers, vendors, suppliers, colleagues and virtually anyone else through your website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the multitude of other social media channels.

Smart companies and organizations recognize the advantages of having more communications channels, but knowing how to use those channels is the difference between reading National Geographic and hiking through a jungle. To help you with the journey, here are four of the most frequent questions Hetrick gets about starting a social marketing program.

Who should be doing social marketing?

If reaching customers or supporters is important to you, you should have a social marketing program in place. People do business with companies and organizations they know, like and trust, and social media channels build this kind of relationship.

Just like an individual, your social media efforts should convey your business or organization’s personality. Empower your staff to share their expertise, opinions and character online just as they would in a face-to-face setting.

Who should run my company’s social media?

You have three options. The first is to have one person manage your social media presence. A single person will be able to keep the personality consistent. Also, that person is responsible for meeting deadlines and wrangling resources.

Another option is to have a team. Updating social media can quickly become a full-time job; spreading the workload keeps a single person from becoming overwhelmed.

Hetrick uses a combination of the first and second options to do its social marketing, with one person ensuring that deadlines are met, and many others contributing content. Making a team responsible for churning out content ensures that different departments and viewpoints are represented, to give a complete picture of your business or organization. (And you have backup during vacations or out-of-office meetings.)

A third option is to hire someone. That frees you up to concentrate on your area of expertise, be that making widgets or preventing cancer. If you don’t have the resources or understanding to do social media right, hire someone to do it for you. A social media specialist can give you the strong presence you need to stand out.

Is it hard?

People are often hesitant to start a social media program because they believe the learning curve will be steep. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Social media platforms are very intuitive; setting up an account only takes minutes, even for people with no computer savvy.

Establishing a social media presence is easy; sustaining it takes time and effort, and that’s where many companies run into trouble. Your content is similar to produce at a market. It has to be continuously updated and constantly fresh. If last April’s bananas are still on display, people will avoid your place altogether.

Where does social media fit in my overall marketing?

Having a social media presence won’t replace more traditional marketing, but when it’s done well, social media adds another layer to your marketing efforts.

Social media isn’t the place to promote your product attributes over competitors and shout “buy now” messages. If that’s your approach, you’re going to turn off a great many people. It’s like going to a party and bragging about a nice piece of Florida swampland you have for sale.

Instead, use social media to become a trusted source of advice on and insights into your industry or cause. The most important thing to remember is that social media is a conversation. Your clients, vendors, friends and competitors are able to take an active role in the communication. It is up to you to have meaningful, engaging things to say to keep them coming back to you.

This blog post orginally ran as a Perspectives article in Inside Indiana Business.