You would think that the answer to the above question is easy– yes or no. But like many things in the technology world it’s just not that simple. There are many benefits to adopting a social media strategy and we highly recommend our clients to adopt social media as part of their overall internet marketing efforts. But it does require some effort to learn basic principles and the investment of some time to become active in the social spaces. However, if you think the extent of your social media strategy is to start a Facebook Fan Page and/or Twitter account and let the rest take care of itself with no further effort on your part, then no, it isn’t advisable and could even do your business some harm.

Reasons Why to Start a Social Media Strategy

These days social media should be thought of as an essential part of your marketing strategy. There’s just no ignoring the massive amount of people using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or the hundreds or even thousands of active social media spaces available. This is a large audience for any business to ignore. If you are, your competitor probably isn't.

I just attended a great webinar offered by HubSpot about utilizing the various online local networking sites to promote your business. There are so many local listing services than you can take advantage of for free. Many of them also offer enhanced services which let you add more information about your business, but the adding your business using the free service is well worth the time.

When meeting with new clients we always stress the many SEO benefits of blogging. Oftentimes the question then arises "What do I write about?" We understand that not everybody is or wants to be a content writer, publisher or editor. But the benefits that blogging provides far outweigh the common reasons not to blog, such as 'I don't have enough time' or 'I don't know what to write about'.

Join IMI Software at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, Long Island for the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island, Inc. 9th Annual Tech Fair, the largest real estate conference and trade show on Long Island, taking place Oct. 14, 2010.