Are Twitter and Facebook your new marketing frontier? Or all sizzle and no steak?
All the buzz and explosive growth makes it seem every marketer should be getting into social media, but your potential results depend on who your customers are and how they make buying decisions. Online social tools can drive significant results only with the right audience and strategies.

Little or no cost and high potential impact make social media appealing to guerrilla marketers and established consumer brands alike. However, a well thought out campaign requires a real investment of time, which could break the deal for many smaller marketers. Here are some considerations to help you figure out if an investment in social media marketing is worth testing.
1 Social B2C – it’s the new TV
Social media are highly compatible with B2C marketing because they present a new twist on well established methods. In fact they are replacing TV and “old” media as a way to create awareness, engage interest and drive traffic or stimulate action. Effective social campaigns are ubiquitously available, involving, interactive, and easy to share, all of which gives them the potential to “go viral”. Major marketers have achieved very high returns from campaigns that take advantage of these characteristics.

2 B2B – use with caution.
While B2C purchases are often driven by emotional impulses, B2B buyers are rational and risk averse, making larger transactions after complex sales cycles. The bite size entries and serendipity of social media are less likely to change buyer behavior or attract useful leads. What’s more, most B2B markets are small and specialized, making social media an inefficient way to reach the right decision makers. In any case, not many senior business people have time or inclination for social media – the demographics are heavily skewed toward younger people. If your target audience is on Twitter, then by all means test it as a way to engage them, but for B2B you may find social media more useful for personal connections that help with sales than as a marketing channel.
3 What is your audience looking for?
Understanding the behavior of your target audience is crucial. If you find a segment of your market using social media, what are they there for? Many users simply want to keep up with friends and be entertained, though a growing number want to find useful information and make connections. If you can structure messages, campaigns and content that people will welcome in the context of their usage, you have a good chance of success. Another factor: if you have enough clout to bring your audience with you, you can gain traction quickly. If you have to start building a following from scratch, it may take a while.
4 Assessing potential ROI
Avoid the temptation to think of social media marketing as just a branding exercise, where entertainment today will translate to purchases tomorrow. Instead, approach it as a way to connect with people whose enthusiasm for your content can be channelled to avenues of communication where a sales process is welcome, and results can be measured. Then you can compare performance with other marketing channels and make sound, profitable decisions.
Be sure to factor in the time and effort required to plan, implement and monitor social media campaigns.