Companies and nonprofit organizations are rushing into the social media craze, hoping to boost their revenue during these tough economic times. Are Facebook and Twitter where you should be devoting your internet marketing efforts?  Here are four questions to ask yourself before you commit time and money to a social media campaign. 

1) Can our customers or supporters become a tribe?

Do your customers talk about you? Do they tell their friends and family about the things you do? If the answer is yes, you have the beginning of a tribe. To use Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks, you must have the type of fans who talk about your organization and want to talk to other people who talk about your organization.They must also be of the demographic that uses these types of tools. If your average customer is over 65, there is a good chance they are not using Twitter. You shouldn’t either. However, if your customers are comprised mostly of recent college graduates, Facebook might be a good option for you.

2) Do we have anything of value to add to the conversation?

The whole point of social media is the “social” part. That means having a conversation. You are talking “with” your supporters rather than “to” them.  Do you have anything relevant to say? Do you have exclusive free content for members of your tribe (downloads, coupons, etc.)?Can you post information that solves your visitors’ problems? If you can, your tribe will grow. Address a need, solve a problem, or share an idea. Doing these consistently will grow your tribe.

3) Do we have the resources to commit to social media?

One of the big mistakes that companies and organizations often make is to throw up a Facebook page and never update it.  It takes time and energy to make social media marketing work. If you can’t devote some member of your staff to regular updates (or even better, a team of contributors), then don’t bother pursuing this type of marketing. You will quickly lose your tribe and never gain them back if you can’t offer a steady stream of fresh, relevant content.

Another reason to have a person or persons dedicated to this project is to interact with your tribe. You will get questions, comments, and hopefully donations or sales. To strengthen your relationship, you need to be able to answer questions, send a thank you, or address negative comments in a timely manner. Having a person dedicated to this also prevents you from relying on auto responders, which can kill the sense of community.

4) Are we willing to be transparent?

The last question deals with your level of openness. Are you willing to show your warts? Are you willing to see negative comments about your organization or company on your blog or Facebook wall? How will you handle those attacks?

Social networking etiquette demands a level of transparency that many companies and organizations find uncomfortable.  You must be willing to face negative comments and be willing to talk about your failures. Web hosting provider Dreamhost once blogged about a service interruption in such a transparent and humble way that their business increased and they earned a new level of customer loyalty. That takes guts –does your organization have the stomach to be transparent?  

Now that you have considered these four questions, you have a clearer picture on whether social media is the right internet marketing approach for your organization. If you answered yes to all four, you are ready to take the plunge. However, remember to make a plan, set realistic goals, and test and evaluate often.