Just like it is quite hard for most members of Generation X to understand why many young adults these days would rather pay $100 for a ripped pair of jeans than $40 for one that has not been met by a blade, they find it hard to understand why they need to invest in Social Media for their companies and businesses. Most new companies/start-ups have already done their research and joined the bandwagon, take Zappos for example, and with how much buzz it has built from Social Media it remains hard to phantom why the ‘not so new’ companies don’t get it.

A few days ago, I was reading a post by Monica O’Brien, who I have come to admire as a person and whose brilliantly written blogs I can’t stay away from. In that particular post, she explained the type of clients she won’t work with and those she loves to work with. The types that struck a chord with me are the inspiration for this post. Two things: 1.) Those that “measure experience in years” 2.) Those clients who don’t know what it is and despite explaining over and over several times what Social media is all about and what it can do for their company, they still don’t get it.

I have been working on Social Media for quite some time now to understand that it isn’t about how many years one has been doing it that sets one apart. I was reading an article on Mashable the other day and somehow I ended up in the ‘Jobs’ section which I have never even seen before. I checked it out and was quite surprised when I saw some positions where one of the requirements was “atleast 8 years in Social Media…” I sat and thought to myself what exactly this meant. Facebook and Twitter are the most popular social network sites and even they haven’t been around for 8 years, so what do they mean by 8 years of experience in social media? Besides I would think that one will measure experience in this case based on how often one has used it over the time it has been in existence. If I were to hire a Social Media strategist today, I would rather have someone who has used social media for actual networking and used it everyday or there about to connect with friends basically before delving into the professional market than hire someone who knew nothing about it a few years ago and has only used Social Media professionally. I just think the former will have a better grasp of the underlying concept of Social Media. If anyone understands the principle behind measuring one’s social media ability in years, please enlighten me.

The other thing that caught my attention is how people fail to understand what Social Media can do for you. My most recent client asked me “Tolu, I know everybody is jumping on the Twitter wagon, but how will this Twitter bring me more customers?” In truth, he has never used Twitter before and claims to only read about it and see on CNN how people love and use it so much. It took me two hours to get him on board and one of the things I made sure to drive home to him is that Twitter alone is not equal to Social Media presence. In those two hours I tried to explain the following values:

1.) Branding: The best way to set yourself aside in any tough industry is to build a strong brand. Branding helps you build a place in the hearts of your fans and confirms your credibility as a company. The easiest and most affordable way of doing this with the aid of social media. A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It’s important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It’s a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.

2.) Customer Interaction: Social Media has carved a niche for itself as the most effective means of Customer Relationship Management. It has provided a dynamic way of keeping in touch with your customers amongst many other things. Besides the obvious point of increasing sales, Social Media like Twitter, Facebook, youtube e.t.c. provide a means for companies to ‘problem-solve’ for their clients, get useful feedback and ultimately get personal with customers.

3.) Helps one learn about the Market: Most companies are always looking for information they can leverage to improve their reach in the Market and what better way to do this than getting on social media networks and listening to what people are saying. With social media, you can also learn about your competition giving you a way of getting one over them.

4.) Find potential Customers: Building a strong presence on social networks can take your sales leads and potential customer numbers to new heights. If for example you manage to get the buzz around twitter about your company, there is no saying how many people will visit your website. Now it’s not everyday a company gets on as a trending topic on Twitter but imagine how your life will change if that happened to your company.

5.) Find the best Candidates to join your team: Social Media is now the new name in the recruiting game! With social networks like Twitter and Facebook, you can find the best talent around anywhere, simple as that.

6.) Your Reach knows no bounds. With social media being such a big hit all around the world, there’s potential for your brand and name to go global. You can establish yourself in other countries and not limit yourself to your country of residence.

Who wouldn’t want any or all of these positives?