subject: What is Social Media Marketing? [print this page] Social media marketing is on the rise and is becoming a very important weapon in any Internet marketers arsenal. It seems that you can't go an hour without hearing about someone's Facebook status, latest Tweet, or new YouTube video. If an Internet Marketer wants to be successful in this day and age, they have to harness the power of social media marketing. But what is it? And how can it help me?
Let's address that first question. Social media marketing is a process in which a business utilizes the social networking sites to increase awareness of their products to people who who may never have seen them through customary marketing channels. Basically getting the word out about your products using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. As for the second question, imagine you can let millions of people know about your product with very little effort.
Facebook has the highest usage rate of any social media and can be a very powerful platform for the marketing of your products. Creating a fan page for your business, joining other groups with a similar relation to your product, and providing quality content in your post entries will get people "Like"-ing your page in no time. Approximately 250 million users access facebook on a daily basis. Whatever interests your product serves, it's bound to find many users that will love it.
Tweet Tweet said the bird. If you're not joining the bird and Tweeting away, then you could be missing out on lucrative revenue stream. Get on Twitter and start following other people or businesses related to your product. Most likely they'll return the favor and follow you back. You'll soon have a decent following to receive your Tweets. Send out one or two tweets a day with something interesting. Every now and then toss in a promotion for your product. Just make sure all your tweets aren't promotions or your followers will block you.
If you're handy with video, think about adding YouTube to your social media marketing strategy. Creating hip, exciting videos around your product and placing them on YouTube creates an incredible opportunity to get your product in front of millions of people for free.
Blogging for dollars! Many businesses, big and small, have blogs to keep people interested and up-to-date on their products. Posting regularly with quality content about the industry related to your product is a good way to keep people coming back to your site. Within your posts, add a link to your product. But please remember, content is king.
Social media marketing should be part of any Internet Marketers strategy. Using the social media networks isn't difficult, but it requires a different approach than conventional marketing. Apply the techniques above and increase your product's awareness. Sales will follow.
