By now it’s a given that you’re using social media to market your local small business company and expand your public relation efforts. But have you thought about using social media as a business management tool? If not, you may be missing out on innovative ways to improve your business.
So what other business efforts can you integrate with social media?
- Stakeholder Management
- Customer Service
- Employee Engagement
- Product Innovation
- Risk Management
- Team Group Organization
There are three stages that all social media campaigns must go through.
1) Social Media Recognized. About 90% of companies have entered at least this first stage. This is when social media is used in addition to traditional advertising and public relation efforts. In this stage there is typically little strategy and it is an added addition to already existing duties, rather than being its own entity.
2) Social Media Mastered. This is when social media analytics come into play. Information is being gathered and in return is used to make smart marketing decisions moving forward. Furthermore, at this stage a set person or team is solely responsible for social media. There are consultants at this stage from all areas of the business (sales, legal, customer service) who weigh in on how to improve the social media plan.
3) Social Media Dominance. Many companies have yet to move past the second stage. In the third stage social media is integrated with each and every aspect of the company. It is part of the culture with many different vertical platforms being used to group and market various areas uniquely.
So try and think outside of the box. Social Media is still new and has no set boundaries. Become an innovator and continue to lead the pack. Your customers and employees will admire you for it.
For nearly three decades, Chris Marentis, Founder and CEO of Surefire Social, has been responsible for driving innovation and sales growth for large media and e-commerce brands as well as start-ups. With a long-history of counseling local businesses about their marketing efforts, Marentis provides insight on what it takes for small businesses to succeed and thrive in today’s evolving digital environment. His notable career includes creating the foundational blueprints for online marketing, e-commerce and content branding for AOL’s Interactive Marketing group, where he served as Senior Vice President. While CEO of Clearspring Technologies, Marentis developed one of the most widely adopted venture-backed Web 2.0 technology platforms. Marentis is a frequent speaker at local digital marketing conferences and a contributor to SMB and technology-focused publications.
