Should your business be using social media? Skeptics put it on par with Farmville and advocates hail it as the only media you’ll ever need. As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between and as we debate the tools, we miss the opportunities.

Social Media is simply media specialized for “social interaction.”  During my time in Broadcasting (one-to-many media), I came to appreciate the power the internet provided to add interactive elements to marketing.  If your customers are using it, than the media has value.

Recently a Siemens survey found 70% of consumers indicated they want access to company experts and support through social media channels, yet only 65% of them are happy with those transactions.  The problem may lie in the fact that only about 1/3 of the companies dabbling in Social Media have any sort of policy or strategy. Social Media is just a tool. In traditional media we used to hear, “I tried radio, it didn’t work.” and yet radio (or any media) works fine. Success is determined by the strategy, or the lack of one.

When media choices were limited to reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, and watching TV, that’s where marketing went. Today the trend is moving online and Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are a big part of that trend.  As we debate which media tools are legitimate, let’s be sure that the focus is on developing strategies – where ever the customers are.