The Social Media Marketer

5 Smart Ways To Market With Social Media

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With the expansion of the Internet, consumers and businesses are relying more and more on online searches to acquire products and services they need.  As a result, marketing with social media, through blogs (e.g., Blogger.com and Wordpress.com) and sites like Facebook and Twitter, has become an essential tool your business can utilize to reach customers. 

Benefits of Social Media Marketing
There are several benefits to your business when marketing with social media:

• Cost effective.  The cost of acquiring new customers and retaining existing customers is reduced when compared to traditional marketing methods because the distribution channel (i.e., the Internet) is inexpensive and available to all.

• Cuts out the middle man.  You have direct access to the vehicle through which marketing messages can be distributed.  It is no longer necessary to gain access through traditional media distribution channels, such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio.

• Increases your company's geographic reach.  You have access to customers across the U.S. and around the world, particularly those who are interested in the products and services you offer.

• Efficiency and timeliness.  You no longer need to wait for deadlines or distribution windows for print publications, television programs, cable networks or radio stations.  Through social media marketing, your messages can be posted immediately, in real time.

• Search engine access.  Postings on Facebook, Twitter and most blogs are automatically included in Google searches.  Thus, your product or service can be located by potential customers without the need for programming or search engine optimization (SEO) expertise.

Five Tips for Effective Marketing With Social Media

1. Be consistent.  Consistently post messages via Facebook and Twitter on at least a weekly basis.  More than one person could be assigned to this task, as long as he or she is a trusted communicator.  On Facebook, people like to connect with others who consistently have something to say.  If they see that you post information sporadically, they will assume that you are not a serious Facebook user and will be less likely to view your page. 

   Blogging posts can be made less frequently, perhaps once per month.The key to success when marketing via social media is the use of popular keywords that will lead consumers to your web site.

2. Be relevant.  Post items that are relevant to your customers, such as new product releases, new services added, quotes from satisfied customers, product tips or items on sale.  The keywords used should reflect the relevance of your product or service to the consumer.

3. Be confident.  Spotlight satisfied customers and post testimonials, including customer photos.  Be sure to ask for permission from your customers first.  Everybody likes to see their names in lights, and the customer endorsements will add to your company's credibility.

4. Be proactive.  By placing the properly linked Facebook, Twitter and blog logos on your web site's home page, you will make it more convenient for your existing and potential customers to receive your marketing communications.  This will increase your reach and add to your client base.

5. Be synergized.  To increase efficiency and so that your marketing message will have a multiplier effect, all aspects of your social media campaign should work in synergy with one another.  The most lengthy message should be the foundation for the other outlets that allow for only brief communication.

   For example, if you are promoting an upcoming event, you could produce a short video and post it on YouTube.  Your blog post could provide detailed information about the event -- its purpose, the main speakers, the date, time and location.  Within your blog post, you should include links to your YouTube video, web site, relevant resources and contact information. 

   Then on Facebook, you could post a more concise statement about the event, providing a link to either the blog or the YouTube video that can go out via the news feed to your Facebook friends. Finally, your tweet on Twitter would be an even shorter statement, always with a positive spin.  Something like this would work as a tweet: "Putting the finishing touches on our upcoming firemen's banquet. Tickets are still available @ banquets.com."

The beauty of marketing with social media is that once most or all of the above messages propagate throughout the Internet, which usually takes about 24 hours, they can be accessed by online browsers via Internet searches.  Marketing with social media is a relatively novel way to reach the global marketplace.  But with its short learning curve, you and your business can become an active part of the social media world in no time.