Social media marketing has matured to a point where marketers are no longer asking whether it should be a part of a company’s marketing mix but how and on what sites they should participate. Planning and organization of a social media marketing program is no longer optional, in fact the very success of the program depends on these strategies.

Paul Verna, the senior analyst at eMarketer warns: “The low cost of social media can lull marketers into improvising solutions. But taking account of the time spent debating, formulating, managing and executing social media campaigns—not to mention creating content—makes it clear that money is at stake and a well-thought-out plan is needed.”

A social marketing strategy is also critical because users will expect companies to be savvy in the social space. This includes making sure social marketing initiatives are in line with other brand marketing strategies.

“As increasing numbers of companies immerse themselves in social marketing, the sophistication level rises for all,” said Verna. “That creates an environment in which only the most organized can compete.”

A critical part of social media planning is determining how to integrate it into your company. Most companies find social media useful as a marketing and communications tool, but many others also use social channels for sales, customer service, IT and more.

To read the entire article from eMarketer, click here.

Related Posts:

• Social Media News: The Return of the Noid
• Finding Topics for Your Business Blog – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet
• Facebook Marketing – 9 Tips To Market More Effectively
• 10 Tricks To Increase Your Blog Traffic
• Six Tips to Improve Facebook Marketing

Stevens & Tate Marketing, a full-service advertising agency, developed The Daily Twitch to consolidate and provide useful information surrounding advertising and marketing. We are devoted to serving content useful to an array of industries including B2B, Hospitality, Real Estate, Education, Senior Living, Food, Packaging and Retail.

We encourage you to view our work on the S&T website in the following categories:

B2B Advertising
Food Retail Advertising
Healthcare Advertising
Real Estate Advertising
Senior Living Advertising
Hospitality Advertising