What Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing (SMM) is a type of internet marketing, IM, where companies engage in conversation with people, thus building trust and credibility before selling the prospect. Companies engaging in SMM understand that the average consumer needs 5-7 touch points before they buy.
“Join in on the conversation the customer is already having in their mind.” – Robert Collier
The term, “Social Media” has risen in prominence since July 2006. SM is formed mainly by people operating in a group, in a social way. SM is transforming people from Content Consumers into Content Producers. Businesses refer to SM as User-Generated Content, UGC or Consumer-Generated Media, CGM.
Where to start?
Since Social Media is still quite new, business owners need to understand this new mediascape and decide what business objectives and resulting metrics they wish to achieve
Social Media Marketing will assist you with these top goals:
- Increase Website traffic
- Increase Conversion
- Increase sign up or registration or membership
- Greater reach
- Targeted audience
- Sales tracking
- Increase Page views
- Increase Ad exposure
- Increase brand awareness
- Creating a positive brand image
- Business development and a broader customer reach
- How can you create and convert all these activities with social media marketing?
Since the social web makes it easy for you to interact with people or prospective customers, create and promote content that can get links and viral attraction, you can, with the right social media marketing strategy reach key influencers using this medium.
Social Media Marketing is a very necessary component of any company’s marketing campaign as it provides the foundation for broader, faster mind share, along with supporting your SEM, Search Engine Marketing, and SEO, Search Engine Optimization objectives. You *can* convert traffic if you target your niche appropriately and do not engage in spam.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #1 – Assistance:
There is the ‘golden’ rule principle that says, “treat people the way you want to be treated” and that works for the majority. But there is a much more respectful ‘platinum’ rule that says, “treat people the way THEY want to be treated.”
It’s all about THEM, not YOU!
Your job is to be of service to them, assist and help them to solve their issues. The more you show integrity and honesty in helping them, the more trust they will extend in your direction, thus the greater social currency you will earn.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #2 – Process:
You need to establish a roadmap, a blueprint that is in sync with your business objectives. You can download our FREE blueprint on LEXXtech’s homepage. On our blueprint we included the various online marketing activities along with offline marketing; we understand the power when you leverage both online & offline marketing.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #3 – Contribute:
In Social Media Marketing, communities are considered Queen of Hearts, however, according to the top Search Engines, content is King of Hearts. Online reading has increased and will continue to rise, however, a very small percent of the population will actual generate and/or link valuable content to their members/groups.
In a sense, this is GREAT news as you have the opportunity to rise among the noise and become one of the top content providers in your industry.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #4 – Connect:
You will need to study each Social Media Platform, learn the rules, learn their language, learn their protocol as you need to fit right in. Reach out to the influencers in your niche, be polite, honest, sincere, and you’d be amazed how fast influencers can help you spread your brand across their network..
Social Media Marketing Tactic #5 – Position:
You will want to comment/reply to influencers’ posts/tweets and your response will be seen by their followers/fans/friends across their network. This is one way to get seen across the Social Media you are engaged with.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #6 – Blog:
You may or may not have a website, in any event, you need to setup a blog; blogs are indexed faster than a website and make sure you install the SEO component.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #7 – Links:
Links are what makes the web possible. It’s great to have lots of backlinks or one way links to your site as its viewed as an authority site and Google gives preferential treatment with sites that have earned lots of backlinks. If you have downloaded our free Online Social Media Marketing Blueprint, you will noticed that we highly recommend building many web assets and each one should link back to your money site; the site that closes the sale or enable users to take action.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #8 – Videos:
It’s a known fact that Google loves videos, isn’t that why they bought YouTube? We have seen incredible results with videos where Google will index one of our client’s videos in 10 minutes where a website may take 4-8 weeks or even 6 months to be indexed.
For video broadcasting, we recommend http://tubemogul.com, http://vidmetrix.com or http://TrafficGeyser.com to help automate the process.
Here are some suggestions to keep in mind for videos:
- reality style videos are preferred
- tell them what you have
- tell them why they need it
- tell them how to get it
- put your logo and brand your company in all videos
- have a call to action at the end of the video
- no direct selling in the video but you can have controversy
- you may want to visit YouTube and look at the top most ‘viewed’ videos in your industry and learn from them.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #9 –– Technorati:
Have your blog at Technorati which will ensure you are indexed in their search engine for blogs, and updates are broadcast across the network, along with your own blog network updates. This happens behind the scenes from automatic “pings”.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #10 –– Analytics:
Make sure you setup Google Analytics and review where your traffic is coming from, page views and focus your online marketing activities in the right direction.
Google Analytic solution gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you’re more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #11 –– Feeds & Research:
Subscribe to feeds, and use iGoogle, My Yahoo Web or other favorite RSS readers. Notice the changes (use http://Google.com/alerts), and be the first to comment and engage in your topic. First comment often get more visibility and traction.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #12– MicroCommunities:
Locate and join microcommunities – they are social communities that are relevant to your business. Some examples are education.com, nowpublic.com, travbuddy.com, gardenweb.com, shoetube.com, yelp.com and care2.com (non profits). It is much easier to have your voice heard in these and similar markets, than trying a post to Digg that may go unnoticed. Create highly relevant and linkworthy content, research what others are writing about, and connect with the top players and influencers.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #13– Submit:
Review the resource list below and build out profiles for each. If you submit content, make sure it’s useful, unique and that the title of your post stands out. Pick one or two resources to start, and don’t overwhelm yourself. It’s a good idea to ask your friends/fans to vote or comment on your posts to start traction. Make intelligent posts and do not have your company employees post from the same location (IP Address). The submission(s) will most likely be rejected, and worst case, your account blocked or suspended.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #14– Hosting:
It is so very important to select a good hosting company that can accommodate your needs. You should look for a hosting company where support is readily available. Our hosting partner, BarrieWeb has ‘real people’ working there and you don’t need to submit a ticket. You can just email or pick up the phone and get immediate results. Our clients are extremely pleased with Barrie Web’s hosting services that’s why we’ve partner with them to give you good rates.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #15– Monitoring:
There are tools and online programs that we recommend to help you monitor and update in a central location. As well, with the use of integrating RSS, content can be syndicated across many of your social web platforms.
Social Media Marketing Tactic #16 – Advertising:
Advertising on Social Media is less expensive than PPC, CPC, CPA on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other sites that sell advertising space. There are many options to advertise on Social Media Sites. See Search Engine Marketing.
Your Top Social Media Sites are: (in no particular order)
- Twitter
- Facebook
- YouTube
- Pinterest
- Del.icio.us
- StumbleUpon
- LinkedIn
- Flickr
- Digg
- Reddit
- Technorati
- Tip: Subscribe (RSS) to Techcrunch!
If you are looking to broaden your web assets to include social media marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, Video Marketing, Articles & Press Release Marketing, coupled with offline marketing strategies …
… please call us:
LEXXtech @ 416 287.0575
or send an email to info@LEXXtech.com
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