by Louise McGill
Do you get edgy when you see your competitors updating their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts each morning? Do you break into a sweat every time someone asks why your company doesn’t have accounts for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ AND Foursquare? Following these questions, do you immediately jump online and sign up for every social media page imaginable?If you answered “yes” to any of the above, it is quite possible you’re suffering from social media FOMO. FOMO – or, fear of missing out – is a cultural phenomenon which stems from a severe anxiety of being left out of the loop. When it comes to social media, FOMO is a phenomenon which is very much alive and well in the business community.
Despite social media’s ever-growing popularity, it seems many companies are still unsure as to what platforms they should really be on (if more than one) or – more commonly – are simply unsure about what to do with these pages. Social media isn’t just another marketing “thing” you need to do to stay relevant. It is a powerful communications tool which, if used correctly, can go a long way in promoting you or your business.
Of course, you can sign up to every social media platform under the sun. The question is, do you really need to?
Every organisation, big or small, needs to balance social media FOMO with a realistic assessment of their business needs, their stakeholder communication and engagement objectives, how social media may assist these, and what internal resources are available to devote to social media. Before you make the leap into social media, consider these top five questions:
- What social media platforms do your customers and stakeholders use? This is, after all, who you want to speak to.
- What do you want to achieve through social media? Do you want to increase awareness, establish yourself as an industry expert or simply build up your contact list?
- Do you have a social media strategy that fits in with your marketing plan?
- Do you have adequate internal resourcing to manage your social media activities on a daily basis?
- Do you have a company social media policy?
