Looking through my email today, I was sent an invitation to a webinar on how to reach your customers, engage them and build brand loyalty through social media. That sounded like an interesting topic. Then I read on and something caught my eye. The presenter went on to say the best part about using social media is that it is free. Free?

Working with clients every day, that is a statement I hear from time to time, and it is a big misconception. Social media is lots of things, but free is not one of them. Yes it is true that most social media platforms are free to use, but that is one small part of social media marketing.

Social media is about transparency and engagement. That can’t happen if someone is not actively participating. Unless you are lucky enough to find someone to do it for free (which I doubt), you have costs for your social media efforts.

You need to determine what goals you are trying to achieve with your SM efforts. You need to have a clearly defined strategy for your SM efforts. You need to regularly engage your audience. You need to actively monitor what is being said. You need to review, refine and rework your engagement strategies. All of these things have costs. They may be internal, they may be external, but they are costs.

I’m not saying social media is expensive, it is a very engaging and efficient way to talk with your consumers. What I am saying is that social media is not free, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Josh is a New Media Strategist for AadlandFlint and the Flint Group. Learn more about Josh and connect with him on Twitter at @jlysne.