Social campaigns offer potential

Given the popularity of social media today, it's no surprise that using social platforms such as Facebook or Twitter for a business marketing strategy can reap lucrative results.

USA Today points to the example of Denver, Colorado-based Smashburger, which offers coupons and trivia contents to its Facebook followers, replies to questions and complaints on both Facebook and Twitter and reaches out to bloggers about new locations opening in their areas.

"Social media is an opportunity for us to engage with consumers and have a conversation, which is different than paid media, when you're just shouting through a bullhorn," Jeremy Morgan, senior vice president of marketing and consumer insights, told the media outlet.

Sabina Ptacin, co-founder of 'Preneur, explains that when businesses begin a social media campaign, it's important for them to post consistently and stay in touch with their fan base and followers.

"You can't post once a week and think it's going to make an impact," she tells the news source. "You need to constantly be contributing."

Posts can range from photos to industry news to asking followers for questions and comments. Ptacin adds you shouldn't get discouraged if no one responds at first - if your updates are "authentic and interesting," they will eventually get replies.

Something else to keep in mind - while opening a Twitter or Facebook account is free, the process of advertising on the sites is not.

The LunaMetrics blog recently pointed out that prices of cost-per-click Facebook advertising rose 40 percent during the first quarter of 2011, and have surely risen since given the network's continuous growth.

Another price to pay when running a social campaign is time, Morgan tells USA Today. If you don't dedicate yourself to a campaign, it won't succeed, so make sure you can make the time commitments each day.