Social Media Marketing Trends
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and many others have a new kid in town vying for the crown of social media and top marketing trends. Google launched its Google+ social networking site in June 2011 and it’s ready to take the internet by storm. Within a month, it reached more than 20 million users and could very well overtake Facebook, which has seen a dip in its 750 million users. There are those who believe that it can be the first to reach BILLION users.
Social media has changed our world enormously. There are those who live on FB playing Farmville and posting on everyone’s walls like crazy. Sometimes it can be quite irritating when people try to use your wall to advertise their latest marketing idea without asking for permission. Then you press the ‘unfriend’ button and they disappear into cyberspace.
The most serious users of social media do so to enhance their internet presence or ‘brand’. They create fan pages and invite people to “Like” them. On those pages, it’s okay to create a great marketing page because those who view it have given their permission to do marketing by hitting the ‘like’ button. If you do not want to receive information in your email from the publications, you can always opt out. That’s called ‘permission-based marketing’.
Facebook: It’s More Than a Place to Play
There are very serious companies that use social networks to market their company, services and products. This has come as a big surprise to many Facebook and Twitter users who see the service as a way to connect and message friends, family and business associates. A lot of people have been turned off by all the advertising, especially on Facebook where you can now find ads on the side of your page about anything and everything.
Businesses view social media as a way to engage with existing customers and engage with others in a way that encourages them to become full-fledged customers or buyers. This is what makes these networks so valuable.
While others are adding vegetables or animals to their simulated ‘Farmville’ farms, serious traders are looking into and using social media to enhance and grow their customer bases.
Whether your business is large or small, Facebook can be a great place to network and find clients, customers, or partners for your business. Their instant messaging system is great for starting conversations, getting to know them, and giving them just enough information to whet their appetite for more.
Don’t use the IM as a “Hey, I’ve got this great business opportunity I’d like to show you.” Never do that. You may instantly “not be friends” and lose any opportunity to show that you are interested in them as a friend first and a “prospect” second. Allow them to come to you because it gives you all the power in the situation. You never want to present yourself as someone who is desperate or begging them to look at what you have to sell or offer.
Get as many people as possible to “Like” your Facebook page and ask for their opinion on the content.
Have you ever heard the expression “Content is king”? The more comments you get the better because it gets broadcast on your newsfeed and that gives you free publicity! Also put the link to your fan page on your personal FB page as a link in the ‘info’ section of your page.
You can get whiners
With any online or offline business, you’ll get the occasional whine that you don’t want to be bothered with your ads or your approach. Just send them a “Sorry I bothered you” message and immediately delete them. They are too busy playing Words with Friends or using other fun apps to think about something as simple as making money and being successful.
Do not allow others to bother you with some complaints or verbal attacks. Just ‘make amends’ and they will eventually move on to the next person they feel has offended them. If someone starts complaining about your aggressive marketing techniques on your page or on their own page, you should contact them and ask what you can do to fix any issues they are having with you. Fix it now or regret it later.
You don’t want them spreading it all over the internet, and if you’re nice to them and offer to do something for them in exchange for removing their negative comments, you can make a friend and prevent any harm to yourself, your business, and your brand.
The most important thing you have is your reputation and doing everything you can to avoid problems now is better than having to fix something later.
Cultivate those with influence
Influencers are men and women who have created a great profile and presence for themselves online and offline. People “drink their Kool-Aid” and every time they check out their customer lists or clients with a new product, they make tons of money. If you can build good relationships with a few of them, they may even list one of your offers on their listings and that’s a potential gold mine. They blog, tweet, and write articles that are highly sought after by those interested in whatever their particular topic is.
Most of them have an extremely loyal following due to their high profile and the fact that when they offer a new product or service it usually comes with many ‘gifts’ from other authors or specialists in various fields that flow well with whatever the ‘ influencer’. It is offering
To find influencers, simply find a way to reach out to them through conversations on Twitter, Facebook, blog posts, forums, or even message boards.
You can also become a contributor by answering questions on specific topics. Of course, he can identify himself, but don’t use those posts to promote yourself or his company. Engage them in a conversation and offer links to related articles or posts. A link from your site to that of the influencer connects you with him as a follower and others will see your posts and if they are well written you will attract attention and your brand will begin to be built.
To tweet or not to tweet
You absolutely need to get a Twitter account and start building a list of followers. Just do a Google search for apps that will help you market on Twitter.
You can use your audience building app to find followers. You will find Twitter users that are relevant to you and your particular business or interests. You can create Twitter campaigns with specific goals and track their progress and activity. The most important thing is to be consistent, make a plan and stick to it.
Twitter can help build great customers or customer relationships. A business can ‘tweet’ information about their company, products and even the latest offer, and that leads to more sales or, for a home business, more leads.
Keep in mind that there is no limit to what you can do through social networks. Create a marketing plan and put it into action as soon as possible. With focus and determination, you may well be the next “big thing” online.
