Can You Afford NOT To Have A Social Media Marketing Strategy?
Posted by Sandy Fitzgerald on Fri, Feb 25, 2011
Poor little website; it never had a chance.
Oh, it might have had a chance. It started out with some pretty good copy and art, and even offered visitors a few minutes away from their usual lives.
But after your mom and your best friend quit stopping by, you may have noticed that it just wasn't getting any traffic anymore. And as the traffic died off, so did your interest.
Poor neglected website – nobody even knew it was there.
So the time you took to set it up, not to mention the money you spent for web hosting, copy and everything else was just wasted.
Gone. Dried up. Dead.
That's because it takes a lot more to keep a website going than just copy and good intentions. It takes traffic – visitors who are attracted to drop by and stay awhile.
But how do you get those hundreds of people to pick your site above all others? It's just like your mom told you so long ago. To make friends, you have to be a friend.
The way to be a friend online these days is through developing a social media marketing strategy.
And before you pooh-pooh the idea and groan “Oh, Facebook,” just think, can you afford NOT to take advantage of the many ways of using social media out there to bring people back to your site?
It's just like having a car. Would you go out and spend $30,000 on a brand-new car and then hide it away in your garage instead of driving it and making all your friends jealous? Of course not! What's the worth of that car if you've spent money on it and you don't even use it?
Then why would you want to have a website that nobody notices? Do you really have the money and time to throw away creating a site that nobody sees?
It does take an investment to develop a social media marketing strategy to bring people to your website. If you're somewhat web savvy, it will still take an investment of time to go on Facebook or Twitter and broadcast your site to the world.
If you're not that much into the Internet, or you just don't have the time, it may take an investment of some cash to hire a professional to market yourself through social media sites. This is often not a bad idea. After all, hiring a professional to develop a social media marketing strategy for your site means that you will have someone who knows how to maximize your exposure.
And while Facebook and Twitter are great ways to market your site, don't forget about the power of the blog when developing your social media marketing strategy. After all, most people online are looking for information about how to do things. A well-written blog on your website, created with careful use of Search Engine Optimization that will bring its phrases out on the Google results, will lead visitors back to your website.
All in all, it doesn't take a lot to get involved in developing a social media marketing strategy.
Here are some some steps to take:
1. Develop a fan page on Facebook and send an invitation to join it out to anyone you can find on Facebook who knows you. Consider purchasing some Facebook advertising -- you'd be surprised how many people click on those ads by the side of the page and will come to your site.
2. Make a Twitter account and start following people who would be interested in your product. Make sure to Tweet daily.
3. Create a blog on your site. Part of this is also going to similar sites and commenting on blogs on them. Don't forget to put a link back to your own site, or even asking other sites if you can guest post.
4. Join an automatic server site that will automatically post your updates on Facebook and Twitter. Networkedblogs.com is a good option, as is RSS Graffiti.
A well-placed post here, a mention there, and you'll start seeing your website traffic rise again.
This time around, don't neglect that new traffic. Answer their posts and questions on Facebook; offer them something such as an e-book that helps them with their pressing questions.
Treat them like they're valuable, and they'll return the favor by restoring the value to your website.
A website that's visited often thrives. Why not develop a social media marketing strategy that will give yours a chance, too?