Five questions you need to ask before you THINK about social media

Its really become a cliche' to speak about social media by all and sundry especially by those with some basic knowledge of Facebook and Twitter can one profess to be an "expert". And to make matters worse, social media is free-so to say. Therefore, attaching a value to social media for marketing can be difficult; I have experienced that people find it difficult to comprehend the reason why one has to pay when its all "free". For many, ( including those offering social media services) the conversations start and end with opening profiles on Facebook and Twitter and getting people to "follow". Understandably, this is the most visible output that one sees so getting someone to cut through this impression initially can be difficult. However, whatever perceptions people have about social media and its application, its important to reason whether there really is a need and what should one ask oneself before adopting this new age media.

 Here are some five questions that one needs to ask oneself before thinking of using social media for marketing.

1. Do you really need social media and if yes, what are your goals?
2. Have you done an online marketing audit to understand your company/brand's online presence? What mentions do you see of your company/brand? What message is being communicated, if any?
3. Who is going to manage social media once its set up? Its a no brainer to open up profiles but you need to manage it and clearly you shouldn't employ an intern for this job.
4. Do you have a social media plan in place or you are doing it just because everybody does and its "free"? Are you aware of the results that can accomplished?
5. Do you have a social media policy in place? Are your employees, customers and other stake holders aware about your social media plans and whether you intend to educate them about it?

I think before jumping on to the social media bandwagon and doing it like you could be losing out on something really important, it would be helpful if you ask these questions before you think about social media. Once this is done, I think one could have a better perspective and then, social media could be an important ingredient in one's overall marketing plan.