If you are wondering whether Social Media is a useful tool for your marketing efforts, there are two angles to look at.
First of all, the primary thing Social Networking is about is to make sharing information easier. At the top of the scale this is what makes it easy for something to “go viral” – to spread rapidly to a point where a YouTube video can get millions of views within days of its being posted.
The main point is that if you don’t have a product or service subject to a buzz – being talked up or talked about – then Social is just not going to happen. Unless the hygienists are going topless, a dental office blog, video, Facebook page or tweet are not going to get a lot of action.
If you do have something people are going to want to talk about or share, then all these media can be a huge assist.
The only other way these channels are going to make a big difference is exposure. You can run Facebook ads targeted at a carefully identified target market and increase awareness of your product, service or company at a very low cost.
Otherwise these channels have very narrow application – as in the fishing boat captain who tweets fishing conditions.