It’s amazing that so many businesses still don’t take social media seriously.

It must be one of the most cost-effective ways of reaching your online audience, with an array of platform choices and precisely targeted marketing options, it just makes sense.

With around 80% of UK adults now owning a smartphone and around 42 million active social media users over the age of 18 in the UK, social media is, without question, where your customers are and where you should be, as a top business priority for 2018.

However, the task of running what is arguably one of the most important communication channels for a business is often given to an office junior, or someone who ‘does a bit of Facebook’, but generally people with little or no knowledge of the platforms they are using, no idea of marketing or branding, and in many cases, without any supervision.

Bad spelling and grammar, images with watermarks that obviously belong to someone else, content and subject matter that has no relevance to the business promoting it, or value to their audience, and that’s just for starters. The consequences of this can be seriously damaging, with many business owners having no idea how disastrous it can be to their online reputation.

Then, when immediate results aren’t forthcoming from their social media accounts, many business owners just drop them. Citing they see no benefit and that it doesn’t work for them, leaving their social channels unused. This could have potential customers thinking they may have gone out of business, further damaging their reputation.

Social media is a long-term strategy, not a short-term fix. It isn’t a magic wand you wave and get results overnight, it requires thought, planning and consistency to make it work, usually by someone who knows what they’re doing.

Some things are best left to the professionals.