Before social media was king, when the Internet was just beginning to take flight and people were trying to figure out how to say "World Wide Web" three times fast (I still can't), some companies held the same resistance against creating their own web sites as they do now about jumping on the social media bandwagon.
The year 1991 saw the world's first registered web site. By mid-1994, the number had jumped to 2,738 sites and grew to more than 10,000 over the course of the year. Today, over 250 million domain names exist. Some big-name web sites created in 1994 that are still around today include sites for The Economist, Pizza Hut, The White House, and Yahoo!. All of these sites are now tied to social media in one way or another. The White House has its own Twitter account. Pizza Hut advertises special deals on their Facebook page. Yahoo! allows users to repost its news stories to blogging sites like Tumblr. The Economist posts reports and videographics on its YouTube account.
Best for Business
Is your company taking advantage of social media? In 2010, it was reported that nearly 80 percent of the top 100 Fortune companies had social media efforts in place to engage with their customers. From announcing the latest product releases on corporate blogs, to publishing eye-catching videos on YouTube, building a community fan base on Facebook, tweeting a 140-character blurb on Twitter, or expanding business connections and exploring like-minded professionals on LinkedIn--social media has revolutionized the way the world communicates, and is a growing attribute for business awareness--locally and globally.
Today's savvy marketers include social media as a critical part of their marketing mix. While social media is only one of the tools in the marketing toolbox, it's critical because it creates an instant ability to interact with your customers. Social media provides companies a quick way to create a personal relationship with its customers, as long as they're reaching their target audience.
Selecting the most appropriate and effective social media platforms--and managing those networks--are a couple of social media challenges companies face.
Refresh
Creating a social media outlet is easy; however, maintaining an active, effective social media strategy takes effort. Don't cut corners. Stick with your brand. Reach out to the right people. And remember, update, update, update. If you find your social media site is falling behind, consider hiring a social media associate to help your company avoid making any rookie mistakes. Keep in mind, a stale social media site may send the wrong message to your customers.
If your company already has a social media presence, take some time to look at it and make sure it's the best it can be. It has never been easier to connect to your customers than it is today--take advantage of that fact, stay up-to-date, and remain relevant.
