Establishing and maintaining a well executed Social Media Program has many benefits, including:

• Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Organic Search Results
  • Increases link popularity to your web site
  • Increases online “buzz”
  • Increases content and keeps online content fresh and dynamic
  • Increases numbers of new and return visitors
  • Increases the public’s knowledge of your brand

• Extended Marketing Outreach
  • Connecting with your current audience in a new way
  • Connecting with new people
  • Showing your expertise and integrity as a company and a trusted member of various online communities to reinforce your brand

• Viral Marketing
  • When online users comment on, recommend, share, participate or otherwise interact with your brand it carries more weight than traditional company controlled advertising.

• Direct Interaction
  • Allows for direct interaction with potential consumers for a constant market pulse and “voice of the customer” understanding
  • May allow testing of new concepts or product ideas within an interested targeted audience

There are several different Social Media platforms that you can participate in to help build your online presence and your brand and have learned some of the benefits of each. These benefits included:

• Improved Search Engine Optimization
• Extended Marketing Outreach
• Viral Marketing
• Direct Interaction

Along with the benefits come challenges. Social Media marketers may face several challenges while creating and managing their campaigns and it is important to be aware of what obstacles may await you before launching your first campaign. These challenges can include:

• Creation of content
• Need for “safety net” of filters, rules and permission-based participation to avoid unanticipated conflicts, content, comments, etc.
• Time commitment to monitor, manage, update, and refresh content across multiple sites
• Potential backlash by consumers if content or advertising messages are handled inappropriately
• Preparation of responses and reaction to potential negative comments, tough questions or other difficult interaction from the Social Media audience
• Initial return on the investment of dollars and resources is very seldom immediate, significant or directly attributable to Social Media. Social Media marketing should be viewed as a longer term backdrop of your brand introduction, awareness, credibility, reinforcement and connect you with your target audience.

Don’t let this list of possible challenges scare you away from creating your own Social Media Marketing campaign. It is important to be aware of what challenges may creep up on you so you are better prepared to overcome them. In fact, several of these challenges are easily avoided or overcome if a proactive approach is taken when creating your campaign.