Social Media: Not So Social and Oh So Passive

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Jan 05, 2011, 08:23 ET

CINCINNATI, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Social is clearly all the rage. Marketers want it. Consultants are pushing it.

Some tout it as the, be all, end all. Not so fast, grasshopper. Check out your prospects. Are they using it?

According to a recent study by RSW/US, a Cincinnati-based Agency-Client relationship firm, Marketing Executives state that they aren't personally active in social media. Only 15% are using Twitter with any modicum of frequency; 36% Facebook; and 33% LinkedIn.

...and of equal importance, Marketers' companies aren't playing heavily in social, with only 33% active with any degree of regularity.

So what to do? Stop being so social? Kill the Facebook account?

Au contraire my friend.

According to Mark Sneider, Owner President of RSW/US and RSW/AgencySearch, he cites three reasons you need social media if you're an agency:

It will help you find new business – Bring real value to prospects through your published work; push it out to your prospects, and it can open up opportunities;
Practice what you preach. You don't want a prospective marketer coming to your site to find that you rarely play in the social space;
SEO. The more you post - and the more you post on similar themes, using similar words, the more your prospects will find you.

Sneider goes on to note that if you're a marketer, you need social because:

It will help you build business - Social can help you keep awareness for your brand high and can help improve the chances that you will generate interest among consumers and customers;
It will improve your SEO - so someone searches for businesses like yours, you'll be more likely to show up high in the rankings;
It can help you reinforce your brand's positioning and shape consumer/customer perception of your brand if you work at it in a smart strategic way.

Sneider adds: "Just because your prospects aren't playing in the social space, doesn't mean you should give it up - or dial it down. Stay active. And keep it value-added. Activate it. Don't wait for your prospects to come to you.

"And don't only rely on it. It might be alluring because it costs nearly nothing...but the reality is social is of real value when it's part of a larger program - regardless of whether you're an agency or a marketer."

RSW/US is an Agency-Client relationship expert that helps agencies find new business and marketers find better agencies. RSW/US can be reach at 513-559-3101. www.rswus.com

SOURCE RSW/US