By Jonathan Adams

A burning question for companies the world over is how to build, develop, and ultimately monetize their social media presence. Brands must find a way to convert their efforts in page building, product promotion and consumer engagement into real sales of products and services.

However, with users expecting increasingly comprehensive “freemium” services, but social networking sites (SNS) typically offering no way for brands to build online stores or otherwise generate in-platform revenues, this presents a real challenge to companies when planning their digital marketing strategies.

Korea faces two challenges in this regard ― not only successfully entering a new social media space, but also disentangling itself from an old one. Korean brands and consumers alike are facing a transition from primarily local social media providers, such as Cyworld, to the use of global platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

As recently as 2008, my college-age students would exclusively make online groups for their classes on Cyworld, and most of my Korean friends had never opened an account on any of the international sites. However, Facebook and Twitter are fast becoming the platforms of choice for young Koreans, simultaneously creating an opportunity and a challenge for Korean brands.

Samsung presents an excellent example of SNS brand-building by a major corporation, with a coordinated approach to social media marketing that can be seen across its hundreds of pages on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. All pages feature regularly updated content, a variety of images and media, and uniform branding and presentation.

Many go further, offering innovative contests and promotions, extensive product information, and comprehensive customer support. It also provides proof that Korean users are migrating to global SNS platforms.

The main Facebook page for Samsung Korea currently has around 77,000 fans, which compares well with other countries. For example, Samsung UK has 87,000 fans, and Samsung Mexico has 79,000.

However, not all firms have the resources of Samsung, and many Korean brands have been slow to expand their presence to global platforms. To choose one example, a Facebook search for Doosan Bears returns several hits, including a page with 15,000 fans.

However, this is not a page authored by an agent of Doosan, but is a Facebook “Community Page” ― an automatically generated page that users can follow but with no direct connection to the brand itself. In addition, the page at facebook.com/doosanbears is followed by 1,400 users, but is a “fan page” ― a page created and maintained by a member of the public, rather than the official page of the team.

This is typical of the opportunity many brands are missing. Were they to build an engaging page and ― crucially ― register the appropriate page title and URL, they could communicate with many thousands of fans.

The good news for companies is that it is never too late to start, and SNS platforms allow brands to protect their identities by reclaiming URLs and closing pages that infringe their trademarks or intellectual property.

Hiring a full-time social media director and providing them with the resources to build and coordinate a professional and engaging SNS presence is a big investment for many firms. Coupled with the fact that the return on such an investment is hard to quantify, it is easy to see why many companies in Korea and elsewhere have been slow to enter the SNS space.

However, those who make the leap now may be glad they did. Koreans are more and more likely to have friends and contacts from around the world, and are using global SNS to connect with them.

In addition, studies have shown that one of the most common reasons for users to follow and interact with a brand is to participate in fan-only contests and promotions, and this is especially true in younger demographics.

Any firm or organisation with a long-term perspective should understand that using social media to foster brand loyalty with today’s younger generation ― the first never to have known life without the internet ― could reap huge benefits in the future.

Jonathan Adams is from Edinburgh, Scotland. He has lived, taught and studied in Korea for seven years, and is currently a 2nd year MBA student at the Sungkyunkwan Graduate School of Business. He has worked as a Social Media Consultant in the United Kingdom, and in the Social Media Center at Cheil Worldwide in Seoul.