Why Use Social Media in Your Marketing Plan?

Social Media Marketing is an Effective Way to Build Business Leads
Social Media channels are getting utilized every day by companies who are seeking  an effective way to build their company brand and drive more traffic to their site- ultimately resulting in more sales.  The economic downturn now has a firm grip on our business culture; so marketers are seeking more cost effective and creative methods to drive their sales and weather this economic storm.  If that is not reason enough to explore Social Media Marketing- think about this- Social Media is also FUN, CREATIVE, and IT WORKS!

What is Social Media Marketing? The Internet has revolutionized how we conduct business.  It has also evolved into an endless sea of information and all too often Websites are buried and difficult to find.  One method to ensure that your Website is accessible to new customers is utilizing Social Media Channels.  Defined as generating publicity online and through community based Websites, SMM drives traffic from sources other than search engines; although improved search ranking is a benefit.

What Are Some Examples of Social Media Marketing?

Blogging- I will argue that each business needs to have a business blog.  The idea of it is intimidating to many small business owners- but the benefits of having a successful business blog are far too valuable to ignore.  The primary objective of a social media marketer is to contribute valuable and relevant content and ideas to the gigantic conversation happening on the Web.  What better method is there than having a blog?  Business owners will find that the blog keeps their current customers engaged, interested, and coming back for more information while attracting new customers.  How is this done?  I found this article by Hubspot to have very good tips on how to think of your business blog so that it is relevant, interesting, and seen as a valuable source of information to your customers (by the way- Hubspot is an excellent example of a business contributing to the conversation to attract new customers):

Social Media Networks: Social networks are online communities of people who connect to other members through their friends and common interests. These networks provide members a variety of ways to meet and interact. Social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information with one another in today’s society. It allows us to share information with millions of people.  Building your brand in Social Media Networks such as Twitter, Facebook, My Space is an effective way to reach potential customers while interacting with your current ones.

Social Bookmarking-Social book-marking is designed for users to organize and share Web pages through tagging (assigning relevant key words).   Users assign keywords to their bookmarks and other community members can find the bookmarked Web page by a search using the keyword.   In some sites, users can vote for their favorite stories which increases visibility.  Social book-marking is a key element of Social Media Marketing businesses will want to utilize well-known sites such as Del.icio.us, Digg and Stumble Upon.

Image Sharing: By nature, the Internet culture is a very visible one.  We like to read, but we REALLY want to see.  The more presence a company can establish for themselves in sites such as Flickr and You Tube- the better.  Most of us have watched at least one entertaining video on You Tube- right?  The most popular videos are seen by millions- and the production costs are minimal.  Large corportations such as Coke are seeking new ways to infiltrate the Web using video.  This type of marketing is becomming more and more appealing to business owners, and marketers must pay attention to this.

These are just a few of the many ways an organization can use the Web 2.0 resources available!  Stay tuned for more tips and ideas.