What is social media? It’s just a new form of media, like TV, newspapers and radio. It’s a spot on the WWW where a large number of people (400 million on Facebook alone) have gathered to chat, swap stories, talk about their lives, share experiences and importantly express opinions about you, your product/service, how important it is or affects them – sometimes intentionally, at other times naturally through the course of their conversation.

Why do I need to be on it? If you were a pie seller at a sports oval with a great little business but you suddenly notice that on the next oval there are 20,000 plus people watching a game, wouldn’t you put up a sign there, open a stall at that oval, try to get in front of this potential market in some way?

But we have a website? Yes you do and it’s big, beautiful, contains all the right facts and probably says exactly what you want to say. But how do people find out about it, why will they want to go there, who’s talking about it and most importantly who else are they talking to?

Dive in to their conversations, their feeds, the places they hang in to chat, and drive them to your website. Better still offer them a Twitter feed that only has special offers, run a competition on Facebook that gets them interacting and discussing your business, put photos of your event, products or happy customers on Flickr, write a great blog or put up a positive review on Blogspot. All these social networks have people talking, looking and thinking about products, services and events just like yours. Shouldn’t you be where they already are?

Public relations. Social media opens your world to the public. It shows them how you operate, what your goals are, where you came from, where you are going and what you value in your day-to-day operation. It helps define your image, corporate identity, brand value and level of service in a free and dynamic medium where millions are interacting.

Customer service. Imagine solving a problem, helping someone find the product, venue, service or just the information they need whilst everyone else ‘at the counter’ was watching? Imagine dealing with their complaint, issue, gripe or just bad mood with the benefit of time to assess, dissect and define the problem and then showing everybody online how you solved the problem.

If people are complaining about you isn’t it better you know?

Loyalty building. The more you can offer them the more value you are to them. How much do we trust the local chemist, hardware store even the butcher and greengrocer? If what you are sharing in terms of information about your product and service, event or performance is helping them to make their decision the more important you are to them. Chances are even the price point may be even less relevant to their decision when overridden by loyalty.

Collaboration. An opportunity to gather feedback about your business and the way it operates or the product and service it provides is also an opportunity to collaborate with your customers, clients and users in improving that business, product or service.

Coke have changed their taste, bottle shape, even the tops in response to recommendations from their consumers. Perhaps that might just be a turning point or a great idea for your business?

Networking. So there’s another business like yours? Another group that are doing, thinking, performing, leading and operating in your area of sales or expertise? They have customers and so do you. People are already making decisions on which they prefer so lets up the ante by giving everyone in the marketplace your story, information on your product, discussion pieces, product reviews and customer feedback. Not just sitting on your website but active and hyperlinked throughout millions of users on the social media network.

Customer acquisition. People are learning about products and services through conversations on social media, not just advertisements, pamphlets, websites and point of sale. You need to take your product and service up to them – put your story where they are. Remember, this is about getting THEIR attention, not thrashing them into submission or bombarding them with information.

Offer them advice, a place to go to learn all about products and services like yours, free information that will help make them better informed, better equipped, smarter, stronger and potentially a great customer of yours. But it starts by giving them something – chances are they’ll always remember that.

2 way street – Direct! You are going straight to their computers, handsets and probably before too long their iPads or similar. It’s direct! Yes they may choose to ignore, delete or write you off before you have a chance to explain but it hasn’t cost you the price of another pamphlet, radio commercial or TVC – yet it’s supporting all those traditional forms of media in the most personal way.

Most importantly if they do want to engage, question, discuss or query you are right there, The connection is made by clicking reply, joining the chat, offering a tweet or responding to your offer. You are adding them to your database, finding out about them and their habits, likes, dislikes, and beginning an exchange that might possibly end up in a purchase – if not this time then maybe next.

Read more about d.tail’s Social Network Management