Social media marketing refers to the use of various social media sites and platforms to advertise a product or service. Though the terms digital marketing and e-marketing are generally accepted in academic circles, social media marketing continues to grow more popular for researchers and practitioners alike. What is Social Media Marketing? It is a marketing practice that has the aim to create brand awareness and brand loyalty by creating online “Communities” across various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. In simpler terms, it is about creating “Clubs” where like-minded people can meet, discuss and share ideas. The beauty of social media marketing / social networking is that anyone with an Internet connection can become part of a Club or Community.
There are several ways in which social media marketing can be beneficial. One important benefit is that it helps drive relevant traffic to your website, blog or even channel / website. There are several channels that allow you to do this but article marketing, forum marketing and video marketing are some of the most popular. The reason why article marketing is so popular is because it allows your brand to be exposed on a multitude of quality content sites while at the same time providing valuable back links to your website and blog.
This strategy can also help you increase your company’s search engine ranking and visibility to the potential client / customer. It is all about providing relevant content that your clients / customers will find useful to their business needs. Therefore, it is necessary that you research your audience to determine the kind of people that your target market generally consists of. Based on this research, you will be able to determine the type of words or phrases that will best describe your brand and thereby improve your strategy for advertising your brand. Once you have identified your target audience, then it is now time to build an effective social media marketing strategy that can help boost your brand’s visibility.
Social media advertising platforms should include a blog as well as some type of forum where you can provide helpful and valid information to potential customers. It is important that the blog is maintained regularly and that any information that you post tends to be helpful to your reader and adds value to their overall experience. One thing you should avoid doing however, is posting critical information or comments about another individual’s product / service that could lead to legal action. Additionally, you want to avoid posting any spam comments that simply include your company name in the comment area. If you are unable to control what your comment contains, then it is probably best to refrain from posting it on the social media platforms altogether.
Another strategy that many experts will suggest is building a list of customers who are already familiar with your brand. This would be a list of subscribers to your blog, forum or other platforms that you use to communicate with your potential customers. You can easily build this list of customers through lead generation tactics such as offering free newsletters, free reports, free downloads or other freebies for which your customer must provide their contact information. You can then send out messages each time you have a promotion or special event and announce the event via these platforms. This is a great strategy to help in your social media marketing because it helps to establish trust and also builds credibility with your potential customer base.
If you currently do not have a social media presence on these platforms, it may be time to create one for your brand. Remember that your brand name is part of your overall business strategy and if you do not plan on using social media marketing to promote your brand then you are not likely to see results. So long as you implement strategies around social media marketing and continue to build your customer base then you will find success in this industry. So if you currently don’t have an online presence for your business, start building one today and watch your business grow.