Social Media Experts - Who Me, a Blogger?
Posted by Sandy Fitzgerald on Mon, Sep 28, 2009
It's kind of funny how many people have become "social media experts" with the advent of Twitter, Facebook, Digg and all the other sharing sites that are out there.
What's not so funny is how easy the sites have made it for people to call themselves social media experts -- and in the same breath not know that one of the very basic tools of social media is the art of blogging.
Not all blogs are professional, such as the ones on interactmedia.com. Many personal blogs are not this formal. You can blog about your families, your favorite recipes, your pets, the media -- just about anything really.
It's easy to get started. There are plenty of websites that even offer you free blog space, and all you have to do is just fill in the blanks and get started. If you're doing professional blogging for a business, you might want to be more formal and hire people to write your blog entries for you. One of the services we offer here at Interact Media is blog writing, and you can get your blog filled professionally and quickly that way.
Many people make the mistake of thinking a blog is somewhat of a personal diary. It can be a personal diary, yes, but if you're in business, it should be one of the central features of your website as well -- especially if you're calling yourself a social media expert!
The most successful blogs are the ones that specialize in a specific feature. One of the most rapidly growing blogging communities is that of the "mommy blo
gger." While there are many who would be quick to decry such a title, the "mommy bloggers" are busy making plenty of money from their affiliate links, while offering several features other readers enjoy, including coupon savings, work at home opportunities, advice and much more.
This is the very definition of social media -- working with the sites that connect communities of users. While the social media sites have their uses, and can drive traffic to your site, a blog is perhaps the purest form of social media because it gives users a central place to read, research and communicate.
Yes, blogging does take some time, whether you do the work yourself or you hire others to do it for you. The best blogs feature graphics, links and articles by experts to help their users.
However, blogs are perhaps one of the most important tools that social media experts can use, and those who look down on them in favor of more flashy, trendy sites are making a mistake that can prove costly when it comes to marketing.