Social Media Marketing is growing.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs are four top social media tools used by marketers. One of greatest benefits to social media marketing is to generate exposure for your business.  It can result in new business partnerships, improve sales and reduce overall marketing expenses.

In a recent study by Social Media Examiner, businesses were skeptical about social media two years ago. Today, 90% of marketers indicate that social media is important for their business. A remarkable 58% of marketers are using social media for six hours or more each week. Those with more experience in social media spend more time each week conducting in these activities.

It is a time commitment and should be treated as part of your overall business and marketing strategy.  Hiring an effective community manager is a great investment if social media is a tool you want to incorporate in your business.  A community manager or social media guru can help your business stand out in an increasingly noisy world. They can generate more exposure to your business while improving your web traffic.

From start-ups to multinational corporations, a community manager can take advantage of a growing social media world and expose your company in the online universe.  A community manager is the face and voice of your brand. They live and breathe in a flexible 24/7 schedule that can login anywhere at any time. They must have the personality and passion that will reflect your brand. They are your first point of contact for customers and can impact a positive or negative opinion of your brand.  It is imperative to find a community manager that fits your company’s culture and work in an independent manner.

Small business owners are more likely to use LinkedIn to grow but larger organizations not only use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and blogs, they also incorporate YouTube or other video to reach to their audience.

Confused? Media Footprint specializes in digital media. We are happy to assist your business with your digital media footprint.

Timing is everything when you are trying to reach out to the masses. It is important to know when to tweet or post on Facebook, send an email or blog.  The traditional 9am to 5pm computer login is gone, as the Internet never shuts down.  It is constant, global and 24/7.

Social media is social interaction. If you want that window of opportunity to grab someone’s attention, it is best to deliver content at times when other people are not delivering as much content.  This will enable a better chance to gain attention.

A recent research conducted by Hubspot found some surprising results. For Twitter, it is best to tweet late in the day and late in the week. Naturally if you are tweeting Pacific Standard Time (PST), remember the time zones for the Eastern Standard Time (EST). Think about the followers on EST and plan accordingly. Tweet as often as possible since followers are used to 144 characters or less and if they don’t like it, they can skip that tweet.

For Facebook, it is best to post on weekends since many employers block Facebook in the office.  Unlike Twitter, post every other day.  Facebook is popular during the lunch hours, so it is good to update your page around midday.

Did you know that email gets more attention on the weekends when people have additional time to read over them?  The highest email traffic tends to be early mornings on the weekends.

If blogging is your most effective social media tool, it is best to blog early in the morning, before traditional working hours. Most people like to read their blogs when they sit down for that first cup of coffee or lunch.  Depending on your blogging software, you can set your communications ahead of time so you don’t have to set you alarm clock to 6am to post your blog.

It helps to know your audience, but if you do not, try your own survey.  Ask your core target group and spend time to understand your individual audience.  You can action the best course of treatment and you may see more results if you Tweet late, Facebook on weekends, email early and blog before the lunch hour.

The traditional methods of how we use to get our news have been evolving.  Whether you watch television, listen to radio, read the newspaper or search the web; technology is changing our behavior for instantaneous news and all age groups are affected.

The mobile market is growing in leaps and bounds. Nearly half of all American adults (47%) report that they get at least some local news and information on their smart phone or tablet computer according to the Pew Research Center. Not only is it practical, easy to carry around but it works in real time.

As one of the newest forms of on-the-go hyper-local news, mobile applications are on the increase.  Other interesting findings from this summary is:

• 35% of mobile local news consumers feel they can have a big impact on their community (vs. 27% of other adults)
• 65% feel it is easier today than five years ago to keep up with information about their community (vs. 47% of non-mobile connectors)
• 51% use six or more different sources or platforms monthly to get local news and information (vs. 21%)
• 75% use social media network sites (vs. 42%)
• 15% use Twitter (vs. 4%)

Adults that use their mobile devices for local news and information are more likely to use a variety of media platforms, feel more plugged into the media environment and are more likely to engage in social media.

The heaviest consumers are younger and live in higher income households. Like carrying your wallet, a smart phone and tablet computer can plug you in anytime, anywhere. Today, I saw a woman in her mid 80’s surfing the web on her Mac Book Pro laptop while charging her cell phone at a local coffee shop. She used both electrical sockets so that I had to search for a free one.

This research demonstrates that 75% use social media network sites. You can make your brand a part of the social media landscape with the right tools. Need help? Media Footprint can build a social media plan that works for your business.

It is a cliché, but one that holds truth.  This is not rocket science, but putting a plan in place will keep you operational.  A well-laid plan can save your business time and money.  It will also keep you on track to meet your end goal.

We may not be aware of it, but we make plans in our daily lives.  A plan is use to achieve an objective.  Like planning a vacation, you need to find transportation, lodging, tourist attractions, restaurants and so forth.  An emergency preparedness plan will have the key information for escape routes, where to meet up, the chain of command and so on.

Even at the most basic level, a plan will guide you to stay organize.  Having a checklist or milestones will keep you focus and on task.

Whether it is a product or service you are selling, there are key components that must be thought through in your plan.

• Who is your target audience?
• What’s important to them?
• Why do people buy your product or need your service?
• What are your key messages?
• Who influences your audience?

Take these key components and build your plan with SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym for:

S = Specific

M = Measureable

A = Achievable

R = Realistic

T = Time-based or Timeliness

Prioritizing the tasks and/or projects is important. The job of what you measure gets easier when you focus on the objective.  Elbert Hubbard, American philanthropist quoted, “Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.”

As you answer these questions and begin to piece together a plan, Media Footprint can help you achieve your goals and objectives.  After all, your successes are our successes too.