Here is a post from our consulting website about why companies are still afraid of social media!

Why are some companies still afraid of social media?

This is very good question. A large part of the answer lies in the fact that social media for businesses is a part of a technological explosion which has been changing the way companies think about marketing, brand implementation and communication! The traditional forms of advertising and marketing have been relatively unchanged for decades now apart from the addition of a “digital” department for larger companies. And I need to make this quite clear – social media does not replace advertising and marketing. It is an extremely powerful addition and needs to operate in synergy with the business marketing strategy.

Here are some of the key reasons why companies are reluctant to join the social revolution:

• If I put our brand on social media sites people may criticize or say bad things about our brand
• No one can convince me that all of that time spent on social media brings any tangible ROI results
• We have already banned staff use of social media during work hours – how can we then allow some individuals in our organization to spend time on these same sites
• Social media is a “flavour of the month” fad that will wear out it’s welcome
• We are not prepared to employ a social media manager – we already have a marketing department
• These sites are where kids share photos of parties, and are full of baby and pet photos

Does your company fall into any or all of these categories?

Here are a few truths about business and the power of social media!

First up, guess what! People are already criticizing your brand!

By not being on social media sites you are losing the opportunity to put complaints right. You are missing the opportunity to build a relationship with your customers and to create a human aspect to your company. Social Media is a very powerful way to manage your online reputation. The biggest companies in the world have whole departments dedicated to monitoring social media sites looking for any mention of the brand – good or bad – and these specialists respond quickly to make certain that any complaints are not able to become viral and damaging to the company’s online brand. They also respond to those who are saying good things about the company or products with a friendly reply. This has the very real potential to build thousands of passionate brand ambassadors who share their enthusiasm for your company with their own online communities.

This is the real power of social media and it is one that is often overlooked.

Continue reading the post here: Social Media For Businesses