Posts Tagged ‘social media sites’

Unlike any other source, Social Media sites have given organizations the opportunity to create their online image and in turn, build their brand image.  Social Media Marketing lends organizations the skills to develop relationships with clients, insight into the company, and global exposure to the essence of what their company is.

Why is this beneficial to a business? It is beneficial because it gives organizations the tools and resources to build the image of what they see their company as of today, and what they see their company as in the future.

Several tools used within Social Media that will help a company build their image include:

• The physical image of a companies brand like logos, pictures, and videos are tools used several times a day on social media sites to help build a companies image.  Unlike a website which is usually static everyday, Social Media sites such as twitter and facebook are updated several times a day driving a company image into the minds of their audience.

• Brand image can also be developed through words.  Status updates, blogs and tweets to name a few are ways a company can develop their brand image. Through stories and descriptions their audience will have a grand picture of what their product is and how it  benefits them.

• Communication will also help develop a company’s brand image.  The unique benefit of Social Media compared to other internet marketing tools is that it directly speaks to the audience and encourages feedback.  Through this feed back an organization can measure if their brand image is being conveyed correctly and what type of steps can be taken to ensure a strong brand image.

The combination of images, words and communication that Social Media Marketing has to offer is genius, it gives all the right ingredients an organization needs to build and maintain their online image.  Used correctly, Social Media can ensure a company’s brand image goals will be successful goals.

The Social Media website Facebook has done in nine short months what it took television 13 years to do – build a network of 50 million users.  Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and others also account for 11 percent of all worldwide Internet usage. That is 11 percent of what the entire world is doing online and with the multitude of activities one could be participating in online, those are serious statistics!

The results of Social Media Marketing differ drastically from the results of traditional marketing efforts like television or direct mail for two main reasons:

Consumers today are not the same consumers of yesterday.  Today, consumer are watching television, updating their Facebook, texting on their cell and eating dinner, simultaneously.  Until something strikes their curiosity, they have the ability to not fully focus on any one particular task.

Consumers today have built infiltration systems and are less likely to respond to one particular advertisement.  Advertisements are on billboards, web pages, products, text messages, commercials, blogs, and social media sites.  With so much information surrounding each consumer it is only reasonable for the human brain to cope by filtering all this information. Statistics show that consumers are more likely to trust a friend’s opinion or advice over that of an advertisement. This goes to show you that consumers are more interested in what their friends have to say and social networking is one of the places they interact with friends. Therefore, if their friends are commenting on a companies page or product on social media sites, their friends will see and  are more likely to respond.

So where does this leave Social Media Marketing?  It leaves social media sites to do what it does best, socialize.  By having hands on contact with consumers companies are not only letting them into their world, but they are also in theirs.  Consumers are laying their cards on the table and all you have to do is play.  Think outside the box when it comes to social media, think beyond banner advertisements and mass emails but open yourself up to the concept of the opportunity to capture the attention of the world by opening the lines of communication.

My, my, my… how the term social media marketing has grown in the past year! A year ago many people on the continent didn’t really know what social media was much less how to use it for business related purposes.

Now-a-days it seems like everyone is the expert.  Internet Marketing guru’s are popping up everywhere. The most recent trend I can compare this to is the SEO craze that happened a few years ago. Boy did a lot of people jump on that bandwagon. Now even those companies are claiming they have the “hidden” secrets to social media marketing.

And with the hidden secret means more money in their pocket. The same strategy that works for SEO and link building, doesn’t exactly apply to the social media world. They are two separate worlds that work best when integrated into an overall strategy. Just because a person understands Google’s algorithms, does NOT mean they understand how to communicate a company’s message through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The largest, hidden secret of all time in social media is the communication part. Yes, there are strategies that work and yes, there are certain things to avoid and even yes, there is an element of optimization that goes into SMM; however what really makes social media successful is being able to spend valuable time communicating with your audience. That is what all these ’social media experts’ are claiming to show you how to do for big bucks!

Everyone is trying to make money while the buzz around social media is hot, but the fact of the matter is social media isn’t going anywhere. Time will only tell who the real experts are in the social media world and who was just kicking around dust.

What to look for in a Social Media Marketing Company:

1. First and foremost, do they know social media? Do they know what techniques work well and which ones to stay away from?
2. Do they have a proven track record?
3. How long have they been a ’social media expert’? Just for the past year or have they used it successfully since its origination?
4. Do they know how to communicate via the internet with a targeted audience?
5. Most important of all, ask what the measurements of social media are. If they can’t answer that in detail, they don’t deserve your money or time.

Don’t get caught up in the social media craze and bite at the first person who calls themselves an expert. Interview them and ask them detailed questions to find out if they really know what they are talking about, or if they are just blowing smoke.

I would like to begin with a statement I heard while in a seminar for email marketing that really made me ponder about how businesses really adapt and grow as times change. The saying goes like this; “The fundamentals of business never change, what changes are the tools we use”.

When looking at the business world and comparing the companies who continue to grow and prosper, it always seems to be the companies who can adapt to changes in technology. Those companies, who can take advantage of many different types of opportunities to grow their business, seem to keep their doors open no matter what the circumstances.

Marketing is a very powerful tool. It amazes me that during rough times some business owners or higher level managers tend to shorten their marketing budgets, thinking that they are doing their company a favor. Really all they are doing is not allowing consumers to know they still exist.

What companies should be doing, is evaluating their spending on a broad spectrum and analyzing which marketing efforts are the most important in terms of what the population is doing with their time and resources. If the population is spending more time in their homes watching TV, then commercials are probably a good form of advertising. If consumers are spending more time on the Internet, then I would say that is the best place to advertise. Spending capital smarter should be a company’s motto.

The ability to change as technology changes could mean the difference between a company who is barely getting by and a successful company. Technology is currently changing and consumers are making the shift of using the Internet to find products and services. When looking for a restaurant to eat at, consumers are now looking to the Internet to find a local restaurant in the area. The Internet is also a place they can read reviews from others who have eaten there before.

It is very important for companies to have an active presence on the Internet. A website is very much needed, but now a website is the standard, and other efforts are needed in order for a company to be found on the Internet. Consumers are spending their time on social media sites more now than ever before. Using social media marketing, when used properly as a tool to promote a business will help a company be found on the Internet.

Social media marketing allows a company to increase the awareness of their product, service and company online. This style of marketing also allows a company to extend it’s reach and communicate on a more personal level with consumers and clients.

There are certain procedures that should be followed, to be addressed in a later blog, however connecting with consumers on an interactive platform, helps a company to continue to deliver their message where consumers are sure to see it and respond.