Archive for November, 2009

Several factors come into play when it comes to using social media marketing for businesses. For a well known brand name like Coca Cola social media is used in a different way then when a small business without a huge following uses social media to grow their business.

For starters, social media is a great online brand management tool. There are several uses of social media sites that can help to increase the awareness of your brand to consumers. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn help to broaden a company’s reach online. Another great tool that is used to broaden a company’s reach is business blogging. Business blogging allows a company to expand their reach nationally and internationally, it also allows companies to speak with their clients on a personal level, and allows them to communicate their ideas and products/services very clearly.

Clients and prospects can then communicate back with that company through the use of comments. Some of the best uses I have seen of business blogging gives educational tips to readers on a particular industry and then allows those readers to give their insights back on the topic. What other tool can a company use, other than focus groups, to allow their clients and prospects to really thoroughly communicate on a day to day basis?

Not only can businesses use social media sites to increase the awareness of their brand, name and products or services, they can also use social media as a marketing tool to engage consumers to respond to their postings with questions, concerns or testimonials.

Social media marketing is a very powerful tool for businesses of all types and sizes, as long as these sites are used in the proper way.

Every time I go to a networking event or business meeting I get numerous questions asked about what separates Business Bragger from other social media marketing companies who are claiming to be experts in the field. So I felt this would make a great blog topic, seeing as I have been the subject matter of targeted spamming lately.

Business blogging is a great opportunity for companies to expand their reach and let consumers and other businesses know they exist; however time and time again I see people inappropriately using blogs to spam others and in essence create a bad name for blogging as a whole.

Again let me reiterate that business blogging is one of the best ways to build credibility online in this day and age; when done right. With that being said, I would like to share how not to use blogs and blogging to try and build your online presence. Spamming! Enough said right? Not exactly, because I would like to tell you exactly what spamming is and how to avoid becoming a spammer.

Recently I have been getting a lot of interaction from a company on my blog site, you will never know who because I have not allowed the comments to go any further than my eyes. This company feels it is a necessity to send me multiple sales pitches at a time about an investment opportunity that I should take advantage of. Now it would be nice if this company would send me a message like, Hey Bragger great blog and very informative! I like the way you write, check out my website and let me know if there is any way we could help you reach your goals.

While I don’t suggest using that method either, because it is clearly still a sales pitch, I would respect them much more than I do currently. They are not making any comments about my posts and instead going straight into a line that goes something like this: Hi Sun shines! For years I was lonely feeling that I would never have the opportunity to make money and then I came across…

THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO BRAND YOURSELF ON OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOGS!!! A key component of social media marketing is to engage with others on the Internet. This can be through other blogs or by friend-ing them through one of several social media sites. However, leaving a comment on someone’s page that is a direct sales pitch, which mind you makes absolutely no sense sun shines, is not the way to get your name on the Internet.

Here’s another example of how blogging can be used negatively. If there is someone in your industry that is posting a blog, as their direct competitor do not comment on their site about how good your services are and that you beat anyone’s prices, over and over and over. Again, not a good way to use social media marketing to brand your business online. It is OK, to tell them what a great job they have done with their blog and leave a link to your blog for them as a resource to them.

It is rude and goes against all Internet etiquette to “SPAM” others blogs on the Internet. If you want to RUIN your company’s online reputation, then these are perfect ways to do so.

Another case and point, know who you are hiring to handle your social media marketing! Not everyone understands Internet etiquette or abides by it. Until next time.. happy commenting!