Doesn’t mean there’s no investment,” the pastor said, and the congregation responded with a sea of “preach preachers,” “Amens,” and “that’s what I’m talking abouts.”

The pastor continued in his soulful voice, “Children, there are so many who are ready to jump on the Facebook Ferris wheel of fun, the Twitter train of opportunity, and the blog of becoming beginnings that they fail to research the cost.

This cost can’t be found in the form of dollars and cents, but in the cost of time – the time it takes to create well thought out content, the time it takes to rectify errors, and the time it takes to simply do it right. And then when they see that it’s not working for them, they want to give up…IMMEDIATELY. Just throw their hands in the air and give up.

“Well children, the Bible says ‘the race is not given to the swift nor the battle to the strong.’ (Ecclesiastes 9:24) And children, that’s what marketing is all about.”

Well…that’s not exactly how the sermon went, but only if I were preaching…

The reality is many people are excited about social media – one, it has a great reach, and two, it’s “instant,” and three it’s free. While there may be some quick wins, to get the most out of social media, you need to accept it for what it is -“social” – as well as determine how you’re going to play.

It’s crucial that you develop a strong social media strategy. It’s not enough to say that you’re going to tweet the location of your store, your top saving opportunities, or even key events. You’ve gotta go further.

You need to understand what your market wants to hear, and respond accordingly. If they don’t know about your store or what you stand for, why should they care about your sale? Instead, start with engagement. Say hello. Help them get to know you first. And by all means…get to know what they want to hear.

How do you do this? Follow them. Add them as a friend. View their pages. View and follow others they “like” or “follow.” As stated in the online content welcome stated, online content is just as much about meeting your customers/users needs as it is about meeting your needs.

Once you’ve given them a reason to want to follow or like you, then start promoting your business. And never go too long without bringing back that social element.

Do these things, and you’ll be on your way to  to social media success.

A Few Helpful Hints:

Social media may not be for everyone. Before you do any of the above, first determine if social media is the right tactic for your organization.

Hire someone. If you’re not ready to do this on your own, hire someone.

Don’t have the time? There are programs that help you manage your social media efforts.

Don’t give up. It takes time to build a following. Use the earlier days as time to research, learn and hone your skill.

Check out what Kevin Rose says about getting followers on Twitter.

For more helpful hints and tips, follow @reginaconsults on Twitter.

To learn more, contact:

Regina Patterson, M.B.A.

Marketing & Online Content Consultant

regina.r.patterson@gmail.com