The Social Media Gold Rush

The hype about it is almost inescapable, so you're probably wondering: is social media actually re-shaping the way millions of people communicate, or is it the latest fad, pushed by marketing agencies in order to sell... well, SOMETHING, now that traditional advertising budgets are being slashed?

Our take: Yes. To both.

Part of the problem with the social media phenomenon is that as a communications tool, it's so new that almost anyone can position him or herself as an expert. We've been employing various social media tools for clients for roughly two years now, which makes us comparative greybeards.

Although it's easy to do so, setting up a Facebook page or Twitter feed is the last thing you want to do. The first thing you want to do is revisit your marketing strategy. How do social media mesh with it? Do they mesh at all? Is your business one that could actually benefit from it - which should prompt a major "re-think" of your marketing strategy - or is your business one that really isn't likely to benefit?

Social media is not an "if you build it, they will come" tool. It's more like a garden: you need to prep the soil, enrich it, seed it, then tend it carefully - and continually. It takes commitment and, quite frankly, an allocation of both financial and human resources.

In this and subsequent editions of the Axon newsletter, we're going to take a close look at certain aspects of social media. First up: Facebook. Meantime, talk to us about your social media goals. We can help you determine whether it's a good fit and - if it is - how to produce good results.