Social Media and Your Business
I wanted to take the time to write on a subject that has every company pondering. And if it is not, it should be. Social media has taken the world by storm with its viral, growing network of people, groups, and companies. Your employees, or marketing representatives, have the ability to impact your company image and increase your web presence simply by becoming active members of social media sites like MySpace, LinkedIn, and Facebook. However, many employers are very hesitant to allow this kind of work to be done on company time. It seems more like fun than work, and more importantly, can it actually be productive enough to pay for?
The answer is yes! Of course, every business is at a different stage, and the amount of time employees should spend on social media sites will vary depending on the type of business. For example, social media involvement might be more important for a business that only operates online than for a local brick and mortar, services oriented business, but I would submit that every business planning for a broader future, online or not, should invest some time and money into social media. Social media sites have become hubs of professional networking, information sharing, and personalization of the web. MySpace allows users to basically create their own website, sharing pictures, videos, stories, blogs, and more to the rest of the world. Others then view this content or contact the member and are able to comment, vote, and pass on content as they desire. LinkedIn offers a professional profile for employees where they can network with other professionals, give recommendations, post resumes, and more. Because these sites are already well indexed within the search engines and often have their own, more than adequate search engines, the right kind of regular posting can really create awareness of your business. In addition to that, clients or associates can get to know some of your staff or learn more about the inner workings of your business, thus becoming more familiar and comfortable with your people and operations.
According to a study by Pollara Strategic Insights, 46% of a 444 business sampling, believe that social media is now more important than TV, radio, Newspapgers, and Magazines, and 85% agree that it is a very important element. However, in the same study, 66% of those business owners or managers did not think employees should be compensated to interact with social media networks. What these people do not realize is that time spent on social media can actually be productive company interaction between employees, to management, or even to clients as well. All of these messages, shared stories, and more, can actually serve as useful content and buzz surrounding a business. This can drive traffic, increase rankings, improve branding, or simply serve to familiarize your employees with each other. The bottom line is that all social media sites and search engines reward those who participate in the online community. Creating profiles, adding posts, commenting, and content rating on a regular basis are great ways for your employees to improve your social media presence.
I would highly recommend talking this over with some of your staff and creating a strategy for getting your business involved with social media. Perhaps each employee has a required amount of time they spend online, or maybe they are just required to post or comment on certain facets of your business. Whatever protocol you devise, continue to modify and investigate your efforts to come up with the right amount and quality of social interaction on the web, producing the best results for your business.
About the Author: Peter Hamilton is the Project Manager in charge of the Seattle office of ArteWorks SEO. He has a Bachelor's degree in radio, television and film and extensive experience in social media optimization. Mr. Hamilton also heads up the ArteWorks SEO educational video series on topics related to Internet marketing and search engine optimization. If you would like to view the free educational SEO video series, please visit www.arteworks.biz.
The answer is yes! Of course, every business is at a different stage, and the amount of time employees should spend on social media sites will vary depending on the type of business. For example, social media involvement might be more important for a business that only operates online than for a local brick and mortar, services oriented business, but I would submit that every business planning for a broader future, online or not, should invest some time and money into social media. Social media sites have become hubs of professional networking, information sharing, and personalization of the web. MySpace allows users to basically create their own website, sharing pictures, videos, stories, blogs, and more to the rest of the world. Others then view this content or contact the member and are able to comment, vote, and pass on content as they desire. LinkedIn offers a professional profile for employees where they can network with other professionals, give recommendations, post resumes, and more. Because these sites are already well indexed within the search engines and often have their own, more than adequate search engines, the right kind of regular posting can really create awareness of your business. In addition to that, clients or associates can get to know some of your staff or learn more about the inner workings of your business, thus becoming more familiar and comfortable with your people and operations.
According to a study by Pollara Strategic Insights, 46% of a 444 business sampling, believe that social media is now more important than TV, radio, Newspapgers, and Magazines, and 85% agree that it is a very important element. However, in the same study, 66% of those business owners or managers did not think employees should be compensated to interact with social media networks. What these people do not realize is that time spent on social media can actually be productive company interaction between employees, to management, or even to clients as well. All of these messages, shared stories, and more, can actually serve as useful content and buzz surrounding a business. This can drive traffic, increase rankings, improve branding, or simply serve to familiarize your employees with each other. The bottom line is that all social media sites and search engines reward those who participate in the online community. Creating profiles, adding posts, commenting, and content rating on a regular basis are great ways for your employees to improve your social media presence.
I would highly recommend talking this over with some of your staff and creating a strategy for getting your business involved with social media. Perhaps each employee has a required amount of time they spend online, or maybe they are just required to post or comment on certain facets of your business. Whatever protocol you devise, continue to modify and investigate your efforts to come up with the right amount and quality of social interaction on the web, producing the best results for your business.
About the Author: Peter Hamilton is the Project Manager in charge of the Seattle office of ArteWorks SEO. He has a Bachelor's degree in radio, television and film and extensive experience in social media optimization. Mr. Hamilton also heads up the ArteWorks SEO educational video series on topics related to Internet marketing and search engine optimization. If you would like to view the free educational SEO video series, please visit www.arteworks.biz.
Labels: internet marketing, search engine optimization, social media
posted by Peter Hamilton - Arteworks SEO at
9:57 PM
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