Are we trying to improve our reach?

So I am going to continue my little tyraid from my last Blog post. I spoke about wanting to put my social media knowledge to work at my place of employment and the marketing department's unwillingness to branch out into the world of social media marketing. It is my turn to do some branching (as I do not want to "complain" about my something I cannot change).



What I see in this economy is the lack of small businesses trying to improve their reach. I have read many reports that state the more you put into marketing your company to the masses in a recession, the quicker and stronger will be your growth once we are out. Now you may be saying, "I thought we were "officially" out of the recession? Why do we care now?" Yes we are apparently out of the recession but ask yourself this... does it truly feel like it yet? We are going to be hearing bad news from many companies for a while longer as consumers are still afraid to spend...with good reason. The thing is you need to market yourself. The good news is it does not have to cost a lot.


One of the best ways to begin to get your name out there (which is essentially all marketing really does) is social media marketing. I feel like I am beating a dead horse but it works. I personally achieved results of a 300% increase in unique site visits with just the use of Facebook, a blog and a little viral marketing for a website I ran. Guess what... it was all free. I just had to spend some time on it. 


Really though, can a form of Marketing that is free and is proven (not just by me) to work hurt? Only if you do not go about it correctly. For advice search reputable sites or ask me and I will be glad to help. Now the big question is will I continue my rant on Social Media Marketing for my next post? Only time can tell.