There are countless business owners out there who are struggling to understand the world of online marketing. They ask for advice and find a million answers, and are literally drowning in information. To that end, I would like to explain one very important aspect of Internet marketing…Social Media.
Social Media Marketing is complex, and has many different facets and purposes. It can, however, be broken down into three simple categories: Reputation Management, Networking, and Marketing. That is, there are three main purposes for social media.
First is Reputation Management. If someone starts researching your name, what will they find? You want to make sure that you are in control of as much information about yourself as possible. For example, if someone searches my name, the first result is my LinkedIn profile. None of the results are in any way negative.
If someone searches for your company name, what will they see? Is the information showing up relevant? Accurate? Positive? All of these are things that can be greatly affected with Social Media Marketing. LinkedIn, Facebook, Spoke, GetSatisfaction, HubPages, Squidoo, and VisualCV are just some of the places where you can create a personal and or company profile. The more of these you use, the more likely the negatives (if any) will come in behind the info you have created.
Next is Networking. LinkedIn is still my favorite site for professional networking, with Facebook a close second. LinkedIn can help you to get in contact with other professionals in your industry, as well as to locate people who you feel could benefit your company. While Facebook is more personal than business, you would be surprised how much business comes from friends, family, friends of friends, etc.
People tend to go with who they trust. If you are a friend, you are more likely to get their business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a call from someone who heard my name from someone and wanted to know more about what I do.
In the professional world, who you know often opens more doors than what you know. You could be the coolest new company in the world, but if no one will meet with you, it’s going to be pretty tough to grow. Take advantage of Social Media Marketing for networking purposes. Connect with as many people as possible, and contribute where relevant. Build your “web cred”, so to speak.
Last, but not least, is Marketing. It is, after all, called Social Media Marketing. The main interests for most companies are in increasing traffic, sales and brand awareness. There is no better outlet than social media to achieve these goals. I have seen a single mention of a company on a social media site generate thousands of new visitors, and dozens of sales.
Another marketing purpose of social media is link building. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, the more relevant and/or popular sites that link to yours, the better your website will rank. In addition, links on these other sites will drive traffic to yours. For example, I regularly get visits to VUDU Marketing from both my personal blog and my LinkedIn profile.
Because navigating the world of social media can be confusing, it is strongly recommended that you secure the help of an expert in that field, be it an individual or a company. We at VUDU Marketing have extensive experience in the world of Social Media and Viral Marketing, and would be glad to offer a free consultation to determine the best approach for you or your company.
Tags: facebook, hubpages, Internet Marketing, linkedin, myspace, online marketing, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, social media, Social Media Marketing, squidoo, youtube
