It's a story that's told all too many times. A
business makes the decision to move into social media marketing. They see the
enormous potential of the market and they know that they need to get their
slice. That is where the great decision often takes a horrible turn. The
business then opens up accounts on every major social network and waits. I
often picture an important man at the company sitting at a desk in front of his
computer staring at the screen. Every few minutes he looks down at his watch
and wonders why no one has bought anything yet. Eventually he just gives up and
forgets about his 20 social media accounts.
It sounds a little silly but it's two mistakes that
happen every day. The first mistake is trying to do too many things at once.
Even experts can spend a full day working on a single social media account. The
second mistake is expecting the site to be a free billboard without putting any
work into it. When people learn about the great opportunities in social media,
it's natural that they'll want to grab as big a piece of the pie as they can
handle but for your businesses sake, restrain yourself. It's better to have one
well-managed and effective social media site than to have 20 different useless
social media pages with your name on it.
Learn to be selective about your social media. Not
all businesses are created the same and not all social media is either. Some
social media, with hours of expertise and hard work, will work okay for your
company. Some social media, with that same time and work, will work amazing for
your company. So which site would you prefer to be a member of?
Aim to select no more than three social media sites
to use for your company. In fact, for a company new to social media, I would
recommend starting with only one. Find one social media site that will work
effectively for your customers, and your business, and become an expert at
it. Every social media site has a format that information is typically
shared. For example, Pinterest shares information mostly through pictures.
YouTube shares information through videos and others like Facebook offer
a combination of formats that you can share information.
By the time you're an expert, the social media you
selected will be driving customers to your business and building continuous
positive brand awareness.
About the Author
Peter Seiler is the President of
MarketingCertified.com – The most recognized online social media courses
designed for beginner and intermediate users.
Marketing Certified "The most recognized online social media courses."
P: 1-800-580-7824 ext. 101 W: www.marketingcertified.com
Great article Sharon, I just completed the social media course this weekend and it was very helpful. I found the course material on www.marketingcertified.com extremely easy to follow when comparing it to other social media classes I've completed in the past.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Mark
marketingcertified.com review:
ReplyDeleteFor you and all your readers, I can vouch for marketingcertified.com's program and let you know that their program is excellent. The program is very practical, hands on, and includes sixteen modules and an online exam. It's priced very reasonably compared to the other options I've personally reviewed online.
As an entrepreneur heavily involved with social media, I can say with confidence that Social Media is an easily acquirable skill, not rocket science. Do not blow thousands of dollars on a social media certification program.
From a value standpoint, I liked Hootsuite but the tuition fee is expensive for those on a small budget.
At the moment, I don't have a social media course that is my absolute favorite. Dollars and cents wise, Hootsuite is probably the best deal for advanced users. It's also practical as it is the Social Medial management tool of choice for most businesses that use social media.
For beginner users I would suggest sticking to marketingcertified.com. You can't go wrong at $99.
In the coming years, social media marketing is only going to get bigger. But knowing how to tweet and update your status is not the same as using social media to influence and analyze trends, engage customers, and grow businesses. It takes the right set of knowledge, experience, and skills to become a real social media expert.
I hope this review helps.
Cheers,
L. Page
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOops I deleted this by mistake. Clicked the wrong button :)
DeleteThis review is very helpful. One of my colleagues completed the program and also had a positive experience. I'm planning to sign up to MarketingCertified.com soon.
ReplyDelete