Is Social Media Worth The Time?

Recently I have been engaged in a few heated discussions regarding the value of “Social Networks” and Social Media. It seems to me there is a rather large group of people in society that believe Social Networks (MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter) are for kids or single people looking to “hook up!” I also listen to their reasoning that some people use social media as a shield to hide behind in order to avoid actually meeting people in person. I personally believe social media has more pluses than minuses and can be used to not only improve your network of knowledge it can also help your business and your brand. There is a long list of benefits, for me, regarding social media ... here are a few that come to my mind:

Information Exchange : Social Media is the vehicle available to everyone for information. Depending on what information you are looking for will depend on the response you get from a social network. The trick is, to just start using social media and try out a social network before you tell me it’s full of perverts who just want to talk about sex.

Commonality : Using social networks you can find people or groups who share views, beliefs, or business ideas. These same people own businesses, manage people, work in a technology field, want to learn from you and your failures, just as you will learn from their lessons.

Familiarity : Once you begin to use social media and social networks and develop “relationships” with the people you talk to, Twitter with or post for, you will begin to learn about them as a person. View their pictures on Flickr, read their personal blog and learn about their families. It is what happens when you have a conversation with people on an ongoing basis. People I have never met and probably would never have had the opportunity to meet if not for social media have introduced themselves to me either after I’ve connected via Twitter, commented on one of their blog posts or referenced a post in one of mine.

Learn : Just as you are posting your thoughts, your business ideas, your opinions – you are also reading others … I learn something every day through a blog, a Tweet, an email. My social network teaches me something new about this medium 7 days a week.

Communicate : I belong to a few different groups – I use Twitter to get my message to many people at once when I need instant communication. Yet another benefit of social media.
I know there will be those skeptics out there when it comes to social media. My suggestion is, you need to try it in order to understand the value it can be to you and your business. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK - it may not be the right marketing activity, it may not be the right avenue for your success, but if you are considering social media as a marketing strategy, start with the basics - a blog, LinkedIn and a Facebook profile. Once you get these going, then add Twitter. After that, it’s up to you to determine which other tools may be beneficial to you based on your target market and how you want to reach them. Social Media is all about how you use it, keep in mind that it is a mindset and not a product!

How do you use Social Media in your business? How have you incorporated Social Networking into your business plan and how has it affected you and your company, department, product?