This week, Australian clothing line Black Milk Clothing, which has a near-cult following among its customers, found out the hard way what it feels like to crash and burn on social media. The company started by posting an image that some customers felt was critical of women’s bodies — something the company has had a strong stance against in the past.
A calm apology could have meant the end of it. Instead, though, the company lashed out extensively at anyone speaking up, going so far as to block fans from its page for so much as liking commentary disagreeing with the company. Black Milk even told customers to “unlike and shop elsewhere.” The reaction was swift and furious — many customers not only took away their business, but warned others against using the company via various social media outlets.
There are many reasons you should considering hiring a social marketing firm to handle marketing your company. One is to reduce the threat of unprofessional social commentary dismantling your brand image, as the above example pointed out. Here are three more.
1. It Requires Real Time and Expertise
According to Forbes, the average midsize company takes up to 32 hours per month in order to effectively manage just one social media platform. Do you have the manpower to do this? In many cases, you can save money and get better results by outsourcing the work to an internet marketing firm that specializes in doing nothing but running social media campaigns. Even if you could spare someone to handle this task, it’s also worth considering whether their time would be better spent building up your core company, rather than running a Twitter account.
2. Having the Right Tools at Your Disposal
If you’re not a professional social marketing firm, the reality is that you probably lack the tools a professional would use, and you likely have little time for learning not only which tools you should have, but how you should be using them to maximize on your online exposure. Tweeting is more about just throwing a tweet into the dark and hoping it hits a bullseye. Marketers have tools that can determine what type of messages and content with connect best with your audience, and they also know what times of the day generate the most responses.
3. Tying Social Media in to Other Aspects of Your Business
Social media can have an impact on SEO because relevant, fresh content helps boost website search rank. A professional SEO marketing agency knows how to use various social media websites in order to help give your website a boost. Can you say the same? Although it might feel like doing things yourself is a more “affordable” option, it’s your business that ultimately pays the price when you substitute professionalism with “maybe this will work.”
Would you use a social marketing firm to help promote your business? What do you look for in professional marketing companies? Let us know in the comments. More can be found here: www.quezmedia.com
