Say Yes to Social Media!

By Gillian Kriezelman, Search Strategist, Advertising Solutions

Social media has been one of the buzz words going around the marketplace for the past year. As a result, everyone wants to jump on this new media vehicle while it is hot. However, little has been said about how social media actually affects a brand over time.

Well, I have great news for all brand’s who participate in social media; it has a positive effect on your paid search campaign and you brand in general. A new comScore study found that consumers who engage with a brand on social media sites are 2.8 times more likely to search for a brand through a search engine. Branded click through rates have also strengthened by 50 percent as a result of social media.

Therefore, social media can have long-term effect on a brand!

For every consumer that befriends a brand’s Facebook page or even sees an updated Twitter alert has a higher likelihood to build brand loyalty and thus be long term brand advocates.
The important thing to remember when developing a social media page is that it must be meaningful to your consumer. If you simply put together a Facebook page just to say that you have done it, so that you can cross it off your list of media vehicles, bad idea. If social media can positively affect your brand it can negatively affect it as well. Everything a brand develops has to be cohesive with its overall brand image and align with its marketing objectives. If you do these two things, the consumer will appreciate it. Consumers are constantly looking for their niche, a type of community that they can relate to. If your brand is there for them when they need relevant content and information, they will be there for you.

So next time you are contemplating if you should add social media to your media mix--say yes! But do so thoughtfully because the more you put into it, the better the long term rewards will be for your brand.