Jos Vennik

There are five simple reasons that should convince anyone to engage in Social Media.

·         Attaining more traffic

·         Building your brand

·         Improving your reputation

·         Social Media Optimization ( Provide more ways for individuals to find your content)

·         Creating meaningful relations by engaging others

Now who would not want that? Not to mention that apart from a time investment, it is free of charge.

It is a new tool in the arsenal to find interesting individuals and companies alike. Refusing to progress in the world of technology will hamper you from engaging the market properly. There is always someone out there willing to show interest for your cause, who has the option of sharing you with his or her world. Which in turn can lead to new contacts where the cycle starts over again.

In essence you are opening up a new area to find potential customers, simultaneously extending your reach due to the fact that all the content is publicly accessible by anyone using the internet.

Next to that you are interacting directly with your target group, placing yourself in their environment and thus gaining better insight in their habits and relevant interests. Attaining a better understanding of the market in that sense which can provide fruitful opportunities to develop a product or service that was built up on the wishes of the customers. Due to the fact that the ability to listen to ones potential customers was given by Social Media.

Antithesis

How many individuals are actually involved in Social Media? A study done regarding the usage of Social Media during one month, listing statistics per country with work and home situations combined shows the following.

(Average % reach of Active Users: 73.1%)

These numbers represent individuals already making use of the internet, taking a look at the actual amount of internet users in Europe alone shows us the following.

Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats4.htm

These statistics indicate that you won’t be able to affect 41.6% of Europe directly through the internet, along with another 26.9% you are unable to reach directly through Social Media platforms. 

Once we have considered these statistics, the next thing we need to look at is the type of business is considering to partake in Social Media.

·         What size of company are we dealing with?;

·         How are the various forms of media utilized at this point in time?;

·         For what end goal are these forms of media being used?;

·         Where is the target group established?;

·         What forms of media does the target group use to communicate?

The size of the company is directly related to the amount of working hours can be invested into Social Media and time means money.

How the company is currently interacting with its clients is relevant to the skill level of the employees in terms of the various forms of media, if no one in the office has the necessary skills to introduce the company to Social Media. It would have to be outsourced, while this may not affect the larger companies as much. The smaller companies are much less likely to possess the assets to cover such an action.

As far as the end goals are set for the various types of media, we have to look at the target group simultaneously. If they are not active on the internet and can only be reached by phone, what use would it be to announce the company presence via Social Media?

Synthesis 

Social Media is not for everyone, when it is desired to be utilized for corporate usage it becomes evident that extensive research will need to be done into the target group. This should lead to an indication whether or not Social Media can actually become worth it.

Learning how to use Social Media correctly will allow you to get a better understanding of the market and what they are looking for. Naturally you want them to look for your company. When your customers are engaging in conversations where you are being mentioned, you want to be there listening. Giving you an edge in market intelligence because you are not out of touch with your target group.

Ultimately Social Media allows a company to extend its reach, allowing far more individuals to become interested in your company due to coming across material they find through their own network.

Social Media and the internet are here to stay and world is constantly growing more accustomed to it. If you cannot be found on the internet in this day in age, you will be falling behind your competition who is taking the risk to explore new territories.

Whether or not that those that do not incorporate Social Media will feel the effects from their respective competitors already is doubtful, for now at least. As Social Media is still upcoming in the corporate world, it will eventually overtake the majority of the companies. Just as corporate websites and e-mail did before, it will not be as much of a choice as it is a requirement.