Maintain A Useful Marketing Platform Using Social Media
Okay, so you have signed up on numerous social media networking sites to advance your business in the world of online marketing. However, in order to increase traffic, turn visitors into consumers, get more online exposure you have to be proactive and create a valuable networking platform for your target audience to feel apart of. Here is a potential way of looking at levels of success using Social Media Marketing based on the same grading scale you were used to when you we
re in grade school.
If you are only pushing promotion or sales through your social networks you will lack credibility, you are wasting your time and annoying people… try something different because you have recieved a D+
If your only active in advertising your routine tweets- ‘had a turkey sandwich’ you have received a C. You leave your followers wondering what your purpose for using networking tools like Twitter as a part of your business plan actually is. (Where’s the useful content, did you eat it with your sandwich or did you ever have it to begin with?!)
If you allow your customer base to care and become interested and passionate about your product or service by educating and teaching them through the use of social networking, your integrating it effectively so you recieve a B but you could push one step further (and trust us, you need that A).
A+ If you provide an online community for customers to connect and support each other using integrated social media tools you have passed the test (Congrats). As a business, you want to have customer voices speak about your product or service so you know what works and what doesn’t work. Once you have provided a place for them to do so, you have received an A in integrated Social Media Marketing (yes, you get a star on your chart).
There you have it. It is so important to establish a strategic method for consumers to engage in online conversation because it can be used as the most efficient and effective approach to have your marketing plan support the notion of social media aka future marketing. We suggest that you go ahead and make mistakes (I’m still learning) because there is no cookie cutter recipe for how to use social media, but the fact that have an online presence will benefit you and your company in the future. Go ahead, get creative, get followers and get active because there are over 300 million people active in online media, is your business involved in this conversation?
Pick your platform too. Frankly I don’t think Facebook is really worth the bother.
I loved the part where you said “There is no cookie cutter recipe for how to use social media”. That statement is completely true, at least 98% of people using social media for marketing purposes have no idea what they are doing and want to go straight out and start tweeting & bookmarking, etc… They try that for a few days and give up…
My tip to people would be to pick 2-3 (depending on how much time you have) of the top SMM platforms and dominate them. People will wear themselves out trying to be big everywhere & end up getting nothing accomplished.
The trick with successful SMM and pretty much any business venture is that you have to give, in order to receive. Honestly, I am amazed at some of the “Internet Marketers” and things I see on Twitter, Digg, & StumbleUpon, its embarrassing to me as an internet marketer…..
Good article Emily, keep them coming!
Whitney
Totally agree. People need to stay in touch with one part of the marketing system at a time. More or less, concentrate on one piece rather than the big idea because if you don’t your going to get overwhelmed and like you said, after a few days give up. Thanks for the comments Whitney