Brandweek recently posed the question, “Do You Need a Social Media Marketer?” Do you know the answer to this question when it comes to your own business? Do you even know what social media is? Let's start at the beginning. Social media brings together people to share both ideas and content virtually. Encompassing such highly popular sites as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, social media is rapidly becoming an essential part of an organization's web marketing presence.

Now let's take a look at what social media can do for you. Having a strong social media presence can help you advertise your brand, attract and nurture “fans,” and assist your search engine optimization efforts. But what say the experts at Brandweek?

“If more companies follow the lead of Pepsi, Ford, Dell and Toyota, then social media marketer will become a growing occupation as more companies hire full-timers to interact with consumers on their behalf via Facebook and Twitter.” You read that correctly. Some of the nation's largest and most reputable companies are not only embracing social media marketing because of the growth potential they see in ti, but they're also hiring employees strictly to leverage its benefits.

The article goes on to warn, however, that “the lack of ROI around social media, and the belief that such duties should be spread around rather than concentrated in one unit, may limit that growth (of social media marketer as a job title).” Fortunately for smaller businesses, they don't have to be a Pepsi or a Ford to harness the power of social media. A web development firm that specializes in social media marketing can offer even the smallest business a social media package that meets its needs. Whether a business just needs help getting started with social media, or it wants someone to manage such efforts on daily basis, a web development firm can help … and at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time employee.

In fact, a firm that specializes in social media marketing may be just the springboard to an effort that then goes viral across the company. Don't make the mistake of underestimating the potential a consultation and a short-term social media package with a web development firm can have on your business's success. Coca-Cola serves as a good case in point. The company prefers that all employees in marketing and communications do some social media marketing instead (of having a single employee devoted to the endeavor).

When seeking out a social media partner, what should you be looking for? One expert cited by the Brandweek article clarifies, “The mix of genuineness and salesmanship is a key to being a successful social media marketer.”

However you ultimately go about leveraging the power of social media, have patience. “People think that social media doesn't work. It's hard to find ROI on pure social media marketing, but it's a long, slow build, not something you see immediate gratification on,” warns another Brandweek expert.

Go into social media marketing with the mindset that you're committed to it for the long haul. It's the type of endeavor where “slow but steady wins the race” rings true.