If you look around carefully, you will notice very few institutions or brands that are not benefitting from social media networking. Whether you are an established and reputed brand or just a start up, you can find ways to use this platform for your benefit. A wide variety of tools and regular updates make it a useful tool for reaching out to a wide audience base.
Such tools like FriendFeed, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, del.icio.us, Facebook are increasingly working towards carving a social identity that will help you get connected. However every company's social media plan requires some time for it to build up, failing which it might only meet a dead end. What every company should keep in mind when adopting a new plan:
A dedicated resource is required to nurture and fuel the process Patience is the key for results to unfold
The best way to ensure that this plan falls in place is to hire a social media service provider. You also have the option of selecting a social media manager from your communications team or simply hire such a consultant. You may roll your eyes at the concept of dedicating an entire resource for a social media networking plan, but a peek into the Alexa ratings would tell you exactly how fast Facebook or Twitter is growing. It is becoming increasingly important to have this type of manager who can keep a track of the market audience and improvise plans accordingly.
Its time you think about having such a manager who can manage your online presence in the social media marketing world. It requires dedication and time which most of us will rarely find after handling the business in real life. Your manager will ensure your presence at every online event or join in listening or responding to conversations.
Simply having a presence online will not help; your manager needs to be a 'natural' at devising strategies according to the situation. He needs to be aware how the online audience is equally (perhaps more) alert than the live audience and respond with urgency to their demands or queries. An active social media networking team can prevent and handle crisis situations, if they arise at all.
An ideal social media consultant will have a plethora of qualities that will help your company surge ahead. The primary requirement is to understand your business needs properly. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, your manager will have extremely flexible job roles that will include media handling, marketing and maintain PR for the company. He will also be involved with the strategizing segment and need to possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
Our take is that being tech savvy is no longer considered an added advantage but a necessity. The scenario is changing rapidly and someone extremely flexible with determination is suitable for the role.
You must also ensure that your manager has previous experience of handling such assignments. If they do not have any evidence to support the claims, it is advised that you look further for your social media manager.
The author is an expert in content writing and social media services, and has written countless articles on the subject.
No comments:
Post a Comment