Regina Ruiz Social media services have changed everything. The days of posting, blogging, and tweeting on social media platforms merely for personal use are long gone. As the social media sphere turns, social media use is evolving and becoming a staple not only in or personal lives but in the manner in which business is performed. Not only that, but checking social media channels as part of daily routines has become a must for any successful business owner in current times.

From brands promoting sales or new products, to politicians tweeting about new policies and campaigns, social media has forever changed the manner in which business is done and in which corporate entities and consumers interact. The times in which social media was used to directly reflect our diurnal activities and as a means of communication with friends and family have clearly come to an end. Therefore, it is necessary for businesses and consumers alike to either hop on the social media bandwagon, or be forced to tug at the coat tails of the social media savvy.

What exactly does this mean for businesses? Well, the answer is, everything. The evolution of social media in current times means that social media platforms must be far more than simple “Add-ons” to a firms marketing department. Social has various touch points from corporate exec throughout a firm to an unhappy customer seeking an immediate response from the firm. Thus, many brands are starting to use social media for customer service by assigning a dedicated social media profile for this, but is this enough?

Think of Social media as an inexhaustible source for customer feedback and the creation of a customer/corporate relationship. Not only that, but social media is also a vital component in market research. What is the cherry on top this already extremely useful Social Media dessert? Social Media provides a compilation of information that can be generated from only a few sources, which means a decrease in time spent searching thousands of channels.

The increase of user-generated content on all the social media channels available, retweets, +1?s, likes, and the addition to the ongoing conversations happening on the social web facilitate the accessibility of information concerning user preferences, reviews, and opinions. If you are not using social media for market research, you are most definitely missing out. Brands can now target their market directly based on their interests and likes, using Facebook PPC ads.

How to make the best of Social Media in all aspects? The answer is simply said, yet not so simply done. Social Media must be used not only for marketing purposes, yet for maintaining an ongoing relationship with users and fans. The true value Social Media offers lies in having customers that are fans of your brand, but it’s even more effective if your loyal customers can promote your brand in the Social Media universe on their own through their own networks.

When a firm engages on the social web, a mutually beneficial relationship is born between the business and the customer, moreover Social Media platforms provide the tools for the relationship to traverse the borders between a fan and the firm to widen reach across networks of entities. It is in this spread of information and interactive sequence that the true value of Social Media is expressed.