It is no secret that social media is here to stay. In fact, social media has become so prevalent that it overshadows many other forms of communication, including phone calls, emails, and face-to-face interaction. Smart businesses have picked up on this, and have realized that social networking campaigns are far more effective at reaching their customers than direct mail, cold calling, and email. Even traditional radio and billboards are no match for the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. But a good business is not just about reaching customers, it’s about building trust and relationships, and that’s where social media really shines.

With that said, navigating the social networking universe, establishing an online presence, and keeping it updated across multiple sites is time-consuming. And while it may be tempting to believe that throwing up a Facebook page for your business is all it takes to build a social media presence, nothing could be further from the truth. It takes time, effort, and creativity to market your business on social networking sites the right way. The problem here is who has time to plan, execute, and maintain one or more social networking sites? And, how do you know if you are doing it right?

Enter social media consultants. These are marketing professionals who know how to harness the power of social media to grow your business. Outsourcing to social marketing firms has become an effective way to boost your business by taking advantage of this powerful marketing tool.

Having a dedicated and experienced team of social media marketing consultants to run your campaign takes the guesswork out of the equation, and frees you up to run your business. These are experts in their field who take the time to get to know your company and it’s culture and values, as well as your audience. Social media is all about communication and relationships. Businesses that take advantage of this tool build relationships with customers, who in turn increase your exposure by “liking”, sharing, and recommending your pages to friends and family.

Using social sites like Twitter enables you to deliver up to the minute news about your business, such as sales or special events, and research shows that a consumer is more likely to use a business that a friend or family member has “liked” on Facebook than one that has no social media presence.