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Social Media Marketing - Goals and Effectiveness

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:55:58 +0100

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a form of internet marketing, which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media networks like You Tube, My Space, and Face book, social web application like dig, delicious, reddit, Wiki. The goal of each SMM program varies from business to business, but mainly involves building of brand awareness, increasing visibility and through this, sells a product or service.

Social Media Marketing is becoming an essential marketing tool for connecting with customers and optimizing online presence. Social Media describes the tools and platforms, people use to publish, converse and share content online. Video, pod cast, blogs, discussion boards and social networking sites are all tools, online businessmen can use to build relationship with their customers and keep them on websites longer. Social media provides more opportunities for organizations to present optimized content that can be indexed by search engines and ultimately improves site rating.

To implement some of the social media elements, it is first important to evaluate your customers to create an effective strategy. If your consumers are professionals who commute, then pod cast can be downloaded and can be very effective.

Posting video content on YouTube is a unique opportunity to improve your position in Google’s universal search results. WithYouTube, customers can visit the site, view your video and easily post to their own blogs, social networking profiles or websites. YouTube is a great way to reach a broader viewer and generate buzz around new products, especially if your product has a visual appeal.
Building healthy relationship with the customer, that last is an on-going process for a businessperson. Social media takes this a step further by making that relationship personal through blogs. It tells about you, not only about your product or service.
A blog, which includes video, pictures and text, can build interest and loyalty among customers and a new way to search engine optimization. Create a page dedicated to community with website visitors and this will be interactive.

Social media encourages social visits to your site. Keep adding content to encourage customers to return regularly. With the advent of social media, consumers have become contributors, contributing to brand messaging. SMM is related to other online tactics such as SEO, SMO. It has a more active planned role in directing, influencing and suggesting the community members.

Social Media And The Pop Culture

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:56:05 +0100

Why would a popular musician or singing group put a social media page together? After all, aren’t they busy enough without adding the interaction that seems to be required of a social media site?

In most cases these artists do not develop these pages as a result of having too much time on their hands. In fact, most of these artists do not have a significant amount of free time to devote to a social media site.

That being said the social media site becomes an incredible means of immediate connection with fans. The social media page contains audio streaming of popular songs, video streaming of current music videos, photo galleries and of course an online blog.

These tools provide a sense of immediate connection between fans and artist. Since the page development of social media sites is all online the artists can update their page from anywhere they can gain an Internet connection (often wi-fi hot zones).

Obviously there are those who have some help in getting everything online and keeping things updated, but the point is a majority of artists have gained a clear understanding that an online community provides an incredible mechanism for marketing to already motivated fans.

Links to a primary site can often result in additional product purchases. Even if the individuals have the most current audio products they may use a social media site as the first step in locating and purchasing items such as t-shirts, hats, sweat bands, posters, magnets and many other branded items from the artist.

A social media site allows these artists to let fans know of significant achievements, news or offer information on the pre-release sale of new audio projects.

Fans take the time to post replies, ask questions and send site-controlled messages to the artist.

In so many ways the world of social media has allowed the famous to be viewed as approachable and friendly. The mystery of the artist is less mysterious and concerts can be viewed by many concertgoers as something a bit like a gathering with friends.

In an odd way the use of social media levels the playing field of the famous and yet-to-be famous. This environment is an odd mixture of reality TV, entertainment report and fan site.

The success of pop culture as a historical phenomenon makes this up close and personal approach to artists and film stars something that is meaningful to fans.

Beyond the unusually profound cultural dynamics of social media, artists and actors understand that this genre provides marketing potential to a highly motivated group of individuals.

Marketing has always been about putting a product in front of people on a regular basis. Social media allows the famous to keep their projects (past, present and future) in front of fans.

The use of social media can render fan sites obsolete because the fans have access to the famous. In turn they also have access to each other.

The example of the famous using social media can provide a reason for individuals to provide a point of connection for their own group of family and friends in a one-stop shop of information and feedback.

Social Media – Welcome To Reality Online

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:56:10 +0100

The use of social media encompasses a broad range of online media types. While some might only think of a social network like MySpace there are actually several social media formats that contain significant marketing potential for online business.

While others may think you are simply enjoying the multiple aspects of social networking, the truth of your interest may likely be tinged with a business focus.

What that doesn’t mean is that you post simply to leave a traceable link back to your business website. Those who visit any social media site see through posts that are overtly geared toward marketing. In many cases social media consumers view this as spam even if the social network owners do not. In the end, you can lose credibility of you don’t work as a meaningful contributor in a social media environment.

Social media can be presented in many different forms. Let’s take a peak at a few of them.

YouTube and other similar video sites – These videos can be funny, serious, off the cuff and sometimes political in nature. You can show your business in a humorous light and allow individuals to be curious about you and your business.

MySpace and other social networks – This form of social media is popular because it draws together multiple elements of social marketing and makes them accessible to the masses of individuals that may view social networking as an online version of reality television.

Blogs – This is a form of social media if only because it does allow interactive exchanges between the blogger and the reader.

Forums – This can allow you to have an individual voice willing to discuss topics of interest to the majority. As with all social media you can provide a link to your site. If you are viewed as a trusted source you will likely find forum members following you to your site to learn more.

Podcasting – This is an audio stream that can allow a visitor to hear a personal message from you. This can have a pronounced impact in social marketing.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it does provide something for you to consider as an addition to other marketing strategies you may have in place. Social media allows you to take your message to the people and have fun while you share your message.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to be real. The entire Internet community has a low tolerance for supposed spam so make sure you don’t use social media as simply another form of online advertising.