People tend to get cranky on the internet and most aren't shy. The anonymity that the web has given us has made us brave, but oh wait...social networking sites take away the anonymous part. Now what? Are you getting honest feedback with those public comments? Or are people trying to be cool in front of their friends? Can you trust a general opinion or is the criticism coming from people looking for someone to blame for any little wrong thing, whether they truly believe in the matter or not? I think those questions are the same online and in real life.
Most official business running social networking pages are looking to become more involved with their customers. They are looking to be trendy and who can pass up free marketing? But when things go wrong....now there is a place where everyone can go and feel like they are being heard...and everyone else is reading their complaints and becoming riled as well. The ones who feel like victims are rallied together with a common cause and plenty of people to bolster defences. It's a modern mob a la Frankenstein.
Having a page on one of these sites is a must for a modern day business. But don't take it on if you can't devote the time to it. If you can't answer the questions the public may have for you in a timely manner - say a day or two - either wait til you can or hire someone to do it.
Time is a major reason to hire someone. Their time is devoted to establishing your business web presence, freeing you to do other things. In other words, where you might have time to create a linkedin page and nothing more, this person can create a facebook, a myspace, deal with a google adsense account, post a twitter everyday, and maybe even write up a blog for your company. Be clear up front on what you want and how you want to be portrayed.
If you're the one setting these things up for people, why not get paid to do so? Decide how long all of this takes - the startup and upkeep and what your time is worth. Mark down your rates and advertise. What a fun way to make some extra money.
Don't forget to research the best ways for businesses to advertise on the web. If you are going to be an authority on this subject, you will need to know everything there is to know so you can best advise your clients.
So in closing, social networking is most definitely good marketing. It's free and even if you get bad mouthed a bit - as the saying goes bad publicity is good publicity. And as long as you are able to respond quickly to matters that could have harmful effects if not put in check, you are golden.
Happy blogging and networking :)
Love & Gratitude,
Erica Nicole
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