One of the reasons ad campaigns become so successful is because they are seen by many, many people. One of the best places to garner even more sets of eyes is through social media. According to Business2Community.com, people spend an average of almost an hour each day on Facebook; and as the largest social media site in existence, Facebook has the potential to reach one in eight people worldwide. This isn't a bad thing for business. Social marketing has dozens of pros and few cons when it comes to engaging with consumers. It allows businesses to easily establish a relationship with their customers and to design targeted campaigns for specific audiences. It's a powerhouse of information and is rapidly becoming the most effective tool for reaching people because they're spending an increasing amount of time on social networks. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. When you understand social media and use it correctly, it's that easy.
True, social media is much like word-of-mouth, so a good marketing campaign can get spread around very quickly. It's like throwing cold butter into a hot skillet-it takes a short bit of time for that cold butter (your product) to get a little traction, then suddenly it takes off and the butter (product) is suddenly all over the place! But if you're not ready to engage, to post every day, to monitor the site, to respond to customers and to answer questions, it's not for you. Not maintaining your Facebook and social media presence is like buying Seth Godin's purple cow and not feeding it or giving it water. Sure, people will be attracted to it because it's unique, but if you aren't maintaining that cow, it'll die, and so will your social media presence. If you're going to market through social media, decide to commit to it before you start and then carry through.
Source: OPENForum
