Social media Marketing

SOCIALMEDIAMARKETING

Socialmediaiscertainlythebuzzoftoday,butwhatisit,howcan itbenefityou,andwhydoyoureallycare?Gladyouasked.First,let’s stressthatifyouthinksocialmediaisafadthat’sgoingtodisappear youcouldn’tbefurtherfromthetruth. Socialmediaisaphenomenonandit’stakingtheinternetbystorm. Thosewhowerequicktojumponthebandwagonandtake thetimetounderstandsocialmediamarketinghavealready takentheirbusinessesmilesaheadofthecompetitionOverthe nextdecade,wecanexpectsocialmedia’sroleinmarketingand businesstogrowbyleapsandbounds

Therearemorethan750millionactiveuserson socialnetworkingsiteFacebook. Therearemorethan156millionblogs. Therearemorethan490millionYouTubevideos.

SOCIALMEDIAbyCharacteristics

Thebestwaytounderstandsocialmediaisbygroupingby char-acteristic

Openness:Themajorityofsocialmediavenues promoteleavingcomments,voting,sharinginformation, andremovingbarriersmakingcontentopento everyone.Connectedness:Socialmediathriveson beingconnectedwithotherpeople,resources,sites, blogs,etc.Conversation:Traditionalmediaisoneway communicationwhereassocialmediaismoreofatwowayconversation.

Participation:Socialmediapromoteseveryone tocontributeandprovidefeedback.Mediaand audienceblurtogether.

Community:Socialmediaseescommunities quicklysproutupbasedoncommoninterests.

5BASICFORMSofSocialMedia

Ifyou’rewonderingwhenwearegoingtogettothemeatand potatoesofsocialmediamarketing,wearealreadyonourway. Togetthemostoutofthise-bookandconceptswe’lldiscuss, youneedtounderstandsocialmediaanditscomponents.Ifthis isallratherboringtoyouweencourageyoutoskipforward

2.Forums

3.Blogs

exampleofmicrobloggingandtheyareconsideredtheleaderin themicrobloggingarena.

SOCIALMEDIAandtheDistributionofInformation

Socialmediahasgrownataphenomenalrate,fasterthanany otherareaoftheinternet.Itwasn’tthatmanydecadesagothatthe abilitytocreatecontentandthendistributeittothemasseswas limitedtothosewithaccesstotelevision,radio,andprint.

Ifyouwantedavideo,youwouldcallatelevisionstation, whichwouldhaveemployedthousandsofprofessionalswho wouldcreate,compose,andbringtoairyourvideo.Ifyou wantedprintmaterial,youwouldcallupanewspaperor magazinethatalsohadteamsofwritersandeditorswhowould puttogetheryourcopyandbringittoprint.

Theinternetopenedthedoortocreatingone’sowncontentand distributingthatcontentButstillevenadecadeago,itwasstill beyondthetechnicalskillsofmostHowever,todayanyonecan createtheirowncontentandeasilydistributeittothemassed Anyonecantakeadvantageofsocialmediaandthepowerful marketingtoolitpresents,whetherthat’susingablog,Facebook, Twitter,oranynumberofothersocialmediaavenues.

HOWSOCIALMEDIANetworksWork

Socialnetworksgrowandprosperwhenwebsurfersfinda socialmedianetworktheywanttojoin,sotheysignup,create theirprofile,andbegintoconnectwithfriends,family,coworkers, andcontacts.Theyinviteotherstojointhesocialnetwork,and thosepeopleinvitemorepeopleandsuddenlythesocialmedia networkhasexplodedinpopularity.

MYSPACE

services,andwithmorethanthreemillionmusicians/bands regis-tered,itshouldbenosurprisethattherearemorethan200 millionregisteredusers.

Facebook

Withmorethan750millionusersFacebookhasquicklysky rock-etedtothepositionof#1inthesocialmediaworld.Whether youwanttoplayagameofScrabblewithfriends,sendavirtualgift, orwishsomeoneahappybirthday,it’saseasyas1,2,3The businesssideofFacebookisquicklygrowingasmoreandmore companiesrecog-nizeitforthepowerfulmarketingtoolitis

LinkedIn

OfthemanysocialnetworksitesLinkedInistheonemost usetobuildprofessionalcontactsandgrowabusiness.Ithas receivedsomedisapprovalforbeingtooclosedtothepublicand forthefeesitchargesforsomeofitsservices,butitisalsothe secondmostpopularsocialnetworksite,nexttoFacebook. Pocket

HOWTOCREATEActivityWithSocialMedia

Theinternetletsyouinteractwithwebsurfersandyoucan createandpromoteyourcontentbyusingtherightstrategy.You canreachtargetedtrafficandkeyinfluencerswithsocialmedia. Let’slookatsomeimportanttipsthatcanhelpyougetabetter understandingofsocialmediamarketing

1.Process

Don’tbecomeafollowertryingtokeepupwitheveryidea thatcomesalong.Insteadsetyourgoalsandestablishyourown processes,suchaskeywordresearchorcontentanalysis,then mapoutyourplanFartoomanycompanieswillmovetoofast beforethey’veeverputaplaninplace.Ifyoudon’tputaplan intoplaceyouarenotgoingtoseeanygoodresults.

2.Assistance

Whenitcomestosocialmediahelpingothersiskeyto successPeoplefailwiththeirsocialmediamarketingbecause theyaretooabout“me,”andnotenoughabout“them”Always rememberthatthisshouldbeaboutthosewhoarevisitingyour socialmediamarketingpagenotaboutyou.

3.Connect

Youcanreachouttothosewhoareinfluencersinthe market-placeYou’llbesurprisedhowbrandadvocatescanhelp youinyourniche.Remembertoalwaysbepoliteandsincere.

4.Contribute

YouneedtocreatecontentthatisofthehighestqualityAsimportantassocialmediais,contentremainsthemostimportantaspectof

youronlinebusinessandmarketingcampaign.Therearea numberofopportunitieswaitingforyou.

5.PositionYourself

Tocreateapowerfulconnectiontoyourbrandandyourcompany, learnhowtopositionyourselfamongstconsumerpassion

6.Blog

7.Links

RSSfeedallowsthemtodothat.ThereareallkindsofRSS feedsthatpeoplesubscribetoincludingMyYahooWeband iGoogle,aswellasmanyothers.Makesureyoutakeadvantage ofwhatanRSSfeedcandoforyou

10.MicroCommunities

Thereareallkindsofmicrocommunitiesthatpertaintoyour business.Infact,there’samicrocommunityforalmosteveryinterest. Forexample,gardenwebcom,educationcom,shoetubecom,etcIf youwanttohaveyourvoiceheardmicrocommunitiesareamuch betteroptionthantryingtogetnoticedononeofthelargecommunitiessuchasDigg.com.Createrelevantremarksthatarelinkworthy anddon’tforgettoconnectwiththetopinfluencersonline. Pocket

STEPBYSTEPGuidetoMarketingUsingFacebookAds

5.Usethesamepictureonyourlandingpageand Facebookadtocreatefamiliarity.

2.SetupyourtrackingURL

YoucansetupatrackingURLwithGoogleAnalyticsora numberofotheranalyticalproviders.

3.DecideYourBudget

We’dbeamissifwedidn’tmentionthatanytypeofad campaignincludingFacebookadscomeswitharisk,soifyou shouldonlypartakeifyoufeeltheriskcanjustifythereturnOf course,weshouldalsomentionthatinordertomaximizeyour ROIyouneedtotakesomeriskYoucanrunanadcampaignof $50adayor$500aday–it’sentirelyuptoyoutodetermine whatyouwillspendonyourFacebookadcampaigns.Youcan experimentstartingwithasmallamountofmoney.Itworksby shuttingoffyouradsonceyoureachyourdailybudget

Picture:Theysayapictureisworthathousandwords, andthat’ssotrueYourFacebookadgivesyouonly enoughspaceforacalltoactionheadlineandatwolinedescriptionMakesureyourpicturesaysitall

5.TargetYourAd

Facebookletsyoutargetusers’likesandinterests.Yourcan haveyouradreachanareaaslargeasthenumberofpeopleliving withinaspecificradiusofyourbusinessThiscouldbeinthe millions,oritcouldbeaslowafewthousand.Suchisthecase whenlookingtoreachthosebetweentheagesof18-19wholike whitechocolatechipcookies,andlivewithin5milesofyour business.Youcanalsochangeyourtargetsettingsonthefly.So,if youaren’texperiencingtheclickthroughyouhopedtosee,youcan quicklychangeyoursettingstoimproveyourtargetaudience.

6.CheckandAdjust

ENGAGEYOURCEOinsocialmedia.Socialmediaisanexcellent waytohaveaconversationwithyourmarket,makeconnections, andmangethoseconnectionswithcustomers,prospects,bloggers, etc.However,foraCEO,thecharacteristicroutestosocialmedia canbetough,especiallywithlargercompaniesGenerally,aCEO doesn’thavetimetowriteablog,answerabunchofmessages,or dealwithtonsoffriendrequestsonFacebook

Promotewebinars,blogarticles,newsetc.It’sreallyeasy topostalinkinTwitter.

ASTEP-BY-STEPGuidetoUsingTwitterforMarketing

1.Signupandpostaprofile.Visitwww.twitter.com andclickonthe"GetStarted-Join"buttonFollow thesignupprompts

2Writeupdates.Twitter’smaximum140character limitisthegreatequalizer.Noonepostcanoutdo another,sojustwritesomething.

3.Makefriends.It’sprettyeasytomakefriendson Twitter.JustsurfFacebookprofiles,favoriteblogs, etc,andwhenyouseeaTwitterboxclickonit,which willtakeyoutotheirprofile.Nowclickonthe"Follow" buttonandyouarenowfollowingthem

4.HowtopostURLs.Withamaximumof140characters ifyouhaveareallylongURL,itmaynotbeenoughroom. Inthatcaseyoucanusewww.TinyURL.com,whichwill turnalongURLintoashortURL

5.Monitorconversationsaboutyourcompany.Even ifwithoutjoiningTwitterit’seasytomonitorwhat peoplearesayingaboutacompany,brand,orperson Thisisveryusefulformarketing

6.Chatusingthe@symbolbeforesomeone's Twitterusername.Thismakestheusernamealink totheirprofile,whichallowsotherstofollowthe conversation.Forexample,ifyouwrote,"@namehere thanksforfabinfoonTwittertoday"thatwouldallow youtotellthepersonyoulikedwhattheywrote. TWITTERTOOLS

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ThereareallkindsofvaluableTwittertoolsyoushouldknow abouttomakethemostoutofyourTwittersocialmedia marketingexperience.Let’shavealookatthetop20.

1.FriendOrFollow-Whoareyoufollowingthat’snot followingyouback?Who’sfollowingyouthatyou’re notfollowingback?Findout!

2.WeFollow-Findnewfollowersbasedonyour inputtedkeyword

3Twitterless-Tellsyouwhostopsfollowingyou,and graphsthehistoryofyourfollowerovertime.The infoisavailableinavarietyofusefulviews. 4JustTweetIt-MakeseasierforpeopleusingTwitter tofindother“Tweeters”withsimilarinterests. 5.Twimailer-Ifyouaretiredofshallowe-mailsfrom Twitterwhensomeonefollowsyou,oryouwantmore informationrightinyourinboxTwimailerisjustwhat youneed 6.Lessfriends-Findoutifthepeopleyoufollowon Twitter,followyou.

7.MyCleenr-Letsyousortyourfriendsbytheirlast tweets.Letsyougetridofalltheuselessorinactive accountsthatyouarefollowing. 8WhoShouldIfollow-Helpsyoufindinteresting peopletofollowonTwitterItcansuggestpeople whoaresimilarthoseyoualreadyfollow 9.Twubble-ItcanhelpexpandyourTwitterbubbleby searchingyourfriendgraphsandpickingoutpeople youmightbeinterestedinfollowing. 10.Mr.Tweet-Anexcellenttooltofindmostsignificant individuals,getusefulstatisticsandmuchmore. 11.NearbyTweets-ExtendsTwitter’scapabilitiestoitsfull potential:ageography–centricsocialtoolfornetworking andabusinesstoolforbuildingcustomerrelationships. Pocket $25 - $50 Per Hour using Social Media websites with No Experience Required

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UseQwitter-E-mailsyouwhenanyonestops followingyouonTwitter.

13.YourTwitterKarma-Thisisaveryhandytool.Geta completelymanageablepagewithallfriends,and followerswithavatars.Youcandoquiteafewbulk actionssuchasbulkfollow,bulkun-follow,orbulkblock.

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MyTweeple-Thisisanexcellentwaytomanageall ofyourTwitterpeopleinoneplaceYoucanquickly seewho’sfollowingyouandwhoyou’refollowing

15.

Twitblocker-Ifyouhavefriendsthatjustdon’tstop twittering,youcaninstallthisscript,sowhenyoudouble clickthesechattererstweetswillbetemporarilyremoved Whenyourestartyourbrowserthey’llbeback

16.SocialToo-Thistoolcanassistyouinbecominga socialnetworkingpoweruser.Keepyourfollower listsinsyncacrossnetworks,andgetdailyupdates. Sendsurveystoyourfollowersandmore!

17.Twellow-Thistoolaidsincuttingthroughtheclutter tofindotherTwitterusersbasedonaspecificindustry.

18.

19.

Tweepsearch-WascreatedtopermitpeopleonTwitter tosearchtheirfollower’sbioandlocationinformation

TwitterCounter-ThisisaWordPresspluginand includesstats.YoucanalsoaddtheTwitterRemote toyourblog,whichdisplaysthetwitteruserswho haverecentlyvisitedyourblogorwebsite

TwitterMass-TwitterMassisahypernetworkingtoolset forTwitteronsteroidsSitesuiteoftoolsaimtohelp relievesomeofthemundaneprocessesyouwouldgo throughwhentryingtobuildyourTwitternetwork. SECONDLIFE(3D)

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SecondLifeisafree3Dvirtualworldonlinewhereuserscan

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socialize,connect,andcreateusingfreevoiceandtextchatThereare nearly20millionusersBigcompanieslikeProctor&Gamble,Georgio Armani,DellComputer,andothersuseSecondLifetoreachtheir audiencesandincreasesales.Here’showSecondlifecanworkforyou.

FOSTERINGCOMMUNITY

TheSecondLife"community"iscurrentlymadeupofover 550,000peoplewhogo"in-world"anaverageof40hoursa month.Thereareanumberofsmallercommunities,formed aroundpersonalinterestsandactivities.Becauseofthisthebest entrypointforoutsidecompaniesisgenerallythroughbrands andproductsthatSecondLifeusersarealreadyattractedto.

Thefirstrelativelysuccessfulcorporate-fundedpresencein SecondLifewasbuiltforShowtime'spopularseriesTheLWord. Thesitefeaturedrecreatedlocationsfromtheshowwherefans couldgatherandsocialize.UsingthecapacitytostreamQuickTime videointoSecondLife,"LWord"hostedregularepisodeviewing sessionsinavirtuallivingroomTheCWshowGossipGirltook thatastepfurther,creatingarole-playinggamewherefansofthe seriesbecomecharactersinspiredbytheshow.

EMBRACINGtheFantastic

Themostcommonmistake(andtheworst)madebyvirtual worldmarketersistryingtomirrortherealworldintheirSecond LifeSomeofthemostsuccessfulgrassrootslocalesincorporate spectrumofpossibilityabitlikea3Ddreamscape

AmongSecondLife'smostpopularlocalesis"Greenies,"agiant livingroomwhereavatarsappearastinyasants.Hereiswherea BritishagencylaunchedacampaignL’OrealParis,withcustom-made virtualproductsdiscretelyplacedinsidealady'sSUV-sizepurse.After 3months,SecondLiferesidentshadgrabbed34,000copiesof L’Oreal-brandedobjectsTheclick-throughrateofthesevirtualproductswasanamazing3%oftheactiveuserbase

Pocket $25 - $50 Per Hour using Social Media websites with No Experience Required

LEVERAGINGMetaverseBrands

Thisuser-createdworldhasitsowncurrency,andit’spacked withestablishedbrandsthatonlyexistinSecondLife.Thewide selectionofvirtualcompanieslaunchedbycontentcreators includes,land-scaping,fashion,tattoos,aerospace,architecture, choreography,andthat’sjustafew.Insteadofsuperimposing realproductsintothevirtualworld,everydaybrandsshoulds hiretopnotchcontentcreatorstomergerealandvirtualbrands intoaproductthatexistsonlyinSecondLife

YOUTUBE

YouTubeisn’tjustavideoplatform,itisalsoasocialnetwork. BecauseoftheeasytouseYouTube’sformat,messagescan efficientlyspreadacrossamanymediumssuchasTwitterand FacebookYoucanquicklyandeasilyaddaYouTubevideotoyour site,yourFace-bookaccount,yourTwitteraccount,etc,andthere isnoneedforaspecialviewertowatch

Morethan500tweetsperminutecontainalinktoaYouTube video,andtheYouTube’ssearchbaristhesecondmost commonsearchbarontheInternet,secondonlytoGoogleIna month3billionhoursarecollectivelyspentonYouTube,soyou canseeasasocialmediamarketingtool,YouTubehasthe potentialtobeapowerfultool.

Soasamarketerwithamediadivisionhere’showto maximizeYouTube.

CUSTOMIZEYOURCHANNEL

YouTubeallowsyoutocustomizeyourchanneltocomplimentyour branding,anditalsoletsyouhighlightthecontentyouwanttofocus around.Youcanpickwhichvideowilldisplayfirstandhowyour contentwillbedisplayedWhenyousignuptoYouTube,youare

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instantlygivenachannel.Youcancustomizeyourchanneland addacontentdescription.Whenyoulogin,youhaveaccessto amenuandyoucancustomizeyourchannelhere.

CurateContent

YoucanuseYouTubetoadministercontentfromallyour chan-nelswithouteveruploadinganoriginalvideoYoucando keywordsearchestosearchbyduration,category,features, uploaddate,andmore.Togetstartedchooseafewvideosyou wanttoaddtoyourchannel.Youcancreateaplaylistorfavorite list,thenuseyourplaylistsettingstoarrangethevideos

OriginalContent

Youdon’thavetohaveadedicatedmediateamtocreate goodcontent.Allyouneedisadigitalcamera,oracellphone withvideocapabilities,tocreateabasicvideo.Createhowto videos,interviewimportantpeople,createtipsforproducts,etc. toincreasetargetedtraffic.

GETFOUND

ThesearchengineswillpickupYouTubevideos;however, theyarenotabletodeterminecontent.Toensuresurferscan findyourchannelyouneedtoproperlytagyourvideosandyour channel.Describeyourchannel,andpaycloseattentiontothe videotitlesyouchoose.

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Setupachanneltoreflectyourbrandand

Thesepageshavebeenrecommendedbyyourfriendsoroneof over15millionotherwebsurferswithinterestssimilartoyou.

HOWTOMARKETforFreeonStumbleUpon

1.YoumustinformandentertainwithahighWow factor,oftencalledlinkbaitThegoalistoconvert visitorstobuyers,subscribers,orlinkers 2NeverjustsubmitcontentYoushouldjointhe community,andspendtimelearningwhatyourtarget communitylikes.StumbleUponrecentlyaddedprofiles andcommunitynetworks. 3.Picturesarekey.

TIPSFORPAIDAdvertisingonStumbleUpon

1YoumustinformandentertainwithahighWow factor,oftencalledlinkbait.Thegoalistoconvert visitorstobuyers,subscribers,orlinkers 2.Neverjustsubmitcontent.Youshouldjointhe community,andspendtimelearningwhatyourtarget communitylikesStumbleUponrecentlyaddedprofiles andcommunitynetworks. 3.Picturesarekey. 4.Ifyou’reinvestingseriouseffortintoyourcontent spendthemoneytosenditthroughStumbleUpon. 5.Payforstumblesoncontentthat’squalitybutthat surfersaren’tnecessarilysearchingfor 6.Ifyou’relaunchingawebsiteandyouhaveinvested inbrandedcontenttoconvertviewersmakesure StumbleUponiswhereyouareadvertising.

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3.Brand-YourNameApproach

Ifyourcompanyshowsupregularly,itwillsoonberecognized. Makesureyouinterweavenetworksyouareactivelyparticipatingin

4.BuildaFanClubApproach.

Eachtimeyoustumbleanarticle,yourfansmayreaditbut youshouldn’twasteyourfriends’time.Stumbleonlypoststhat havevalue,whichwillpromotepeopleaddyoutotheirfriends andfollowstumbles.

5.Build-Social-FriendshipApproach

NeverfocussolelyonnicheinfluencersRemembereveryoneis importantThankyourstumblersbydroppingthemashortmessage

6.Do-Your-HomeworkApproach

Yourgoalistogettoknowthepersonbehindthestumble:his/her interests,website(s),socialnetworks,etc.Whenyouareateaseinthe communityandhavelotsoffriends,improveyourconnectionby replyingtoeverymessageandcomment,mentiontheirposts,etc

LinkedIn

LinkedInconnectsyouwiththerightaudienceanditoffers hundredsofwaystohelpyouensureyourmessagemakesitto therightperson(s)Over100millionprofessionalsfollowmore than19millioncompanies,recommendmorethan150,000 products,andjoinmorethan850,000.LinkedInconnectsyou withtherightaudi-ence,andoffersyouhundredsofwaysto targetyourmessagetotherightpersonattherighttime.

YetLinkedInremainsanunderutilizedsocialmedianetwork.Many believeit’sdifficulttomakeconnectionsandsothereforeuseitmoreto posttheirresumeratherthanasocialmediamarketingtool

Pocket $25 - $50 Per Hour using Social Media websites with No Experience Required

LinkedInhasthepotentialtobeapowerfulprofessionalsocial medianetwork.

HOWLINKEDINCANHelpYouMarket

BOOSTYOURSEARCHEngineOptimization

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target,andrunyourad.YoucangetstartedjustUS$50.Be suretoleveragethepowerofLinkedInbyusingyour professionalbrandtoputafacetoyourbusiness.

UTILIZEEVENTSTOEngageClients

CreatinganeventinLinkedInisreallyeasy.Youcansend invita-tionsthroughyourLinkedInnetwork,whichcreatesan opportunityforyoutomeetthosewhodecidetoattend.Ata glanceyoucanseeallofyournetwork’supcomingevents.It’sa terrificmarketingtooltobeabletopromotebusinessevents onlineinthesamemanneryouwouldoffline

USINGGroupstoConnectWithPeople

Whilestartingagrouptakessomeefforttogrowyourgroup it’sworthalltheeffort.Agreatplacetobeginistoinviteyour currentnetwork.Asthepeoplefromyournetworkjoinyour group,it’sobservableintheirnetworknewsfeed,whichcan generatenewinterestandnewgroupmembers.

GETRECOMMENDATIONSTOAttractMoreClients

NETWORKING

It’seasytomissthefactthatyoucannetworkwithother userswithdeli.icio.us.Comparedtoothersocialmediasites, del.icio.usdoesn’thaveabunchoffancyfeatures,butyoucan easilyaddotherstoyournetwork,sharelinks,andview bookmarkswiththoseinyournetwork.Whenyouwanttoget somethingtothefrontpage,eachandeverybookmarkcounts. Pickupsomeextrabookmarksbysharingwithyourfriends. Thereareafewthingsyoucandotogrowyournetwork.Startby includingalinktoyourdeliciouspagefromyourwebsitesoothers canaddyou.Youcanuseoneoftheofficialbadgesprovidedbydel.iciousforthispurposeYoucanalsoaskyourfriendswhoaredelicio.ususersfortheiridandaddthemtoyournetwork.

BRANDYOURSELF

WithDel.icio.us

Manydel.icio.ususersstopbythefrontpageoftentosee whatispopular.Keepyourcontentfocusedonyourprimary topic,whichcanhelpyoutoeffectivelybrandyourself

CREATEFOCUSEDCONTENT

Thebestwaytogettothefrontpageofdel.icio.usisto createaresourcethatdel.icio.ususerswilllikelybookmark.If youhavebeenoptimizingfordel.icio.us,youwillknowwhat typesofresourcesandarticlesdowell.

Thedeliciouspagesthatbecomepopularusuallyhaveplenty inboundlinksPagesthathavelotsofinboundlinksusuallyrank wellinthesearchenginesConsiderkeywordsandphrasesthat youwouldliketorankwellinthesearchenginesThinkaboutwhat contentwillhelpyoutargetyourkeywords,dowellwithdelicious, anddrawlinksusingthosewordsresultinginarankingboost

Digitalandsocialmediamarketingofferendlessoptions.From FacebooktoLinkedIntoTwittertoYouTube,thereareanendless numbersocialnetworkingchannelsavailablethatyourbusiness canleverage.Thekeytowinningsocialmediaecommerce marketingistochoosetherightchannelssoyoureachcustomers

YOUCANLEARNwhereyourcustomersgatherby:

Askingthem.Whileitsoundssimple,it’soften overlookedJustsendoutaformalsurveyto customersordoaninformalpollingonyourwebsite, whichcanprovideawealthofknowledge.

Monitoringsocialsites.Thereareanumberoffree toolssuchasTrackurtolearnhowandwhere customersaretalkingaboutyourcompetitors,your brand,oryourtargetkeywords.ForTherearealso paidprogramsthataremorerobust Leveragingthestats.Whenitcomestostats somesiteslikeFacebookaretransparentoryou canleveragethird-partyresearch. Reviewjobpostings,backlinks,keywordrankingsof competitors,andnewsannouncementsregularlyto getaquicklookintoyouronlinemarketinghealth.

2.UseSocialMediatoPromoteExclusiveOffers

Inorderforyourecommercebusinesstobuildfollowersonthe socialchannelyouchoose,youmustenticecustomerswithsome-thing theyaren’tabletogetanywhereelse.Offeranexclusiveitemtosocial mediafollowersorfans,suchasaweeklycouponYoumightalsooffer “breakingnews”thattheycan’tfindsomewhereelse •• •

3.MonitorWhatYourCompetitorsAreDoing

wasthefirstecommercesitetolaunchaFacebookstore,which allowedcustomerstobrowse,andpurchaseitsproductsdirectly throughFacebook

Thefiveideasareagoodstartwhenitcomestosuccessful ecom-mercesocialmediamarketing

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SocialSites

Micro-BloggingSites

onsitessuchasWikiAnswersandYahoo!Answers.Thisisa greatwaytodevelopandgrowbrandreputationandbecomean authority.It’salsoanexcellentwaytodoaudienceresearch.

SOCIALCONTENTSHARINGSites

FlickrandYouTube,arejustacoupleofthesitesthatletyou postspecificcontenttypes,fromphotostovideotoreviews. Thesesitescanaidmarketerstobuildbrandrecognitionandto targetrelevantaudiences.

NicheSites

Thesesitestargetaspecificniche,suchasChihuahuas, Italianwine,orbloggingAsamarketertheseareexcellent becauseyouareabletotargetaextremelyrelevantaudience.

BLUEPRINTS

Inordertocreateasocialmediacampaignthatwillbe successfulyoumusthaveadetailedplanThesestepswill ensureyourcampaignissolid.

BACKGROUNDRESEARCH

Learnwhereyouronlineaudienceislocated.Examinethe typeofcontenttheysubmittosocialmediasitesforideasof whatintereststhem.Also,identifythoughtleaderstotargetin ordertospreadyourmessagetoabroadaudience.

BRAINSTORMING

Thepurposeofbrainstormingistogeneratetonsofideasthatyou canuseforpromotions.Havealookatwhathasworkedinthepast andthenbuilduponthatLookatwhathasworkedforothersimilar

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companiesorproductsandthenseehowthatcouldbeintegrated intoyourplatformTakethetimetofilteroutthegood,thebad,and thereallygood,sothatyoucanfindaworkablesolution.

IDEARESEARCH

Youwillneedtofollowupontheideasyouimplementedto seeiftheyactuallyworked(andhowwelltheyworked)basedon whatcurrentlyhappeninginthetargetedsocialmedia.Flexibility isreallyimportant,asistheabilitytoadaptandchangeif somethingisn’tworking.Afterall,there’snopointincontinuing downapaththatisn’tworking

STORYPRODUCTION

Workhardtoavoidamessagethatisanobvioussalespitch, andwhat’sreferredtoasmarketingspeak.Usevideosand photostoenrichyourstories

SCHEDULEANDLAUNCH

BUILDaFoundation

Youshouldcontinuouslyjoinandparticipateingroups,make newfriendsandinteractwithexistingfriends,andingeneral partici-pateinthecommunity.

BEGENUINEandOnTarget

Provideyouraudiencewithwhatitwants.

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THE5S’SOFSOCIALMEDIAMARKETINGFOR YOURBUSINESS

It’simportantforyoutounderstandthesocialaspectofhowusers

2.Support

Whenyouthinkaboutit,socialmediaisprettyfantasticbecause usersarehavingreal-timeconversationsabouteverythingand anythingyoucanthinkofPRagenciesarebeginningtostrongly recommendthatcompanieskeepasocialmediapresenceSocial mediasiteslikeTwitterallowanavenueforcustomersupport.

3.Social

Socialmediaisaboutsocializingwithexistingfriendsandmaking newfriends.Foryoursocialmediamarketingtobesuccessfulyou needtointeractingwithyourfollowerswhoareyourpotential customers.Socializingandgrowingyourfanbaseincreasesyour presenceThinkofsocialmediaisvirtualsocializationandforyour businessitisavirtualmarketingMeccaEngage–communicate–socialize=successfulsocialmediamarketing

4.Strategy

Makesureyouhaveasocialmediamarketingstrategyinplace, otherwiseyoucouldbewastingagreatdealoftimeandmoney.Each socialmediatypehasadifferentenvironment,functionality,and demographicbaseDeterminewhatitisyouwanttoachieveusing socialmedia,thenanalyzethedifferentsocialmediatypesandthe variouschannelseachoffers.Createyouronlineprofile,brandyour products/services,andthenexecuteyourplan.Makesureyouanalyze theeffectivenessofyourmarketingstrategyandmakeanyneeded changesSocialmediaisfluent,constantlychanging,soyoumayhave tofinetuneyourstrategyasthingschange

5.Sales

Allthesocialmediamarketingcampaignsareofnovaluetoyou andyourbusinessiftheydon’tgeneratesalesforyouYouneedtobe

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creative.Setupalandingpage,uniqueproductcampaigns,make pagestrackablesoyouhaveaccesstodata,anddoanythingelse youcantotrackhoweffectiveyoursocialmediacampaignis. Thereyouhaveitthe5S’sthatcanmakeyoursocialmedia marketingcampaignasuccess

UNDERSTANDINGYOURAUDIENCE

Ifyouwanttogetthemostoutofyoursocialmediamarketingyou mustunderstandyouraudienceSocialmediahasevolvedinto farmorethanjustaninterestingsitethatpeopleuseto chatabouttheirdaytodaylives.Manysocialmediasites,like Face-book,havebecomevirtualcommunitieswherefriends interact,newfriendsaremade,awarenesscampaignsoccur, gamesareplayed,andmuchmuchmore.Businesshasbeen slowtorecognizejusthowpowerfulsocialmediais.

Justrecentlyhavemorebusinessesrecognizedthereisa hugeuntappedmarketherewiththepotentialtoskyrockettheir salestoanewlevel.Bydevelopingsolidmarketingstrategiesto usewithsocialmediayoucanalsoenjoythebenefits.

Don’tmakethemistakeofthinkingifyoubuildittheywill come.That’ssimplynotthewayitis.Toomanybusinesses quicklythrowupawebsite,startablog,signuptoTwitterand starttweeting,andcreateabusinesspageatFacebook,then theysitbackinanticipationandaredistraughtwhentheyreap nobenefits,wonderingwhattheydidwrong •• •

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HERE ’ Swhatyouneedtodotoenjoysuccessfulsocialmedia marketing.

CREATEaProfile

Don’tcreateaprofileforasinglepersonWhatyouwantto doiscreateaprofilethatisarepresentativecharacterfor thousandsevenmillionsofindividualsthatwillconnecttoyour businessusingsocialmediachannels.

WHATTOLOOKFor

Ifyouwanttounderstandyoursocialmediapersonalookto thosewhoarealreadyconnectedtoyouTobuildastrongask thesethreekeyquestions.

Whatarethecontentpreferencesofyourcustomers? Howdotheydiscovercontentandthenconsume, and/orsharethatcontent?

Whataretheylookingtodiscussonthesocialweb?

Onceyouhavetheanswerstothesequestionsyoucan makesmartdecisionsaboutwhatyourcontentshouldbe,and howtobestpresentit.

HOWTOBUILDYourSocialMediaProfile

Thereareallkindsofsitespoppingupwhoofferservicesto buildyourcustomerprofileIfyouwanttoundertakethisprojecton yourown,youneedtokeepthesethreepowerfulyetsimpletoolsin mindwhenyouwanttofindanddevelopyoursocialmediaprofile.

Surveys–Themainreasonabusinessisunableto profilethevisitorstotheirsiteisbecausetheydon’t takethetimetointeractwiththeirvisitors.The easiestwaytointeract

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withyourvisitorsistoaskquestionsSurveysareagreat waytoaskquestionsandgetanswersthatcanhelp.

WebAnalytics–Googleanalyticsisoneofthemost popularanalyticaltoolsandbestofallitscompletely freeIt’ssetupinamannerthatmakesiteasyeven forbeginners.Anybusinessthatwantstobe successfulwiththeirsocialmediaunderstandsthe profileandusessometypeofwebanalytics.

Rapleaf–ThereareothersiteslikethisbutRapleafis oneofthepopularchoices.Itspurposeistoseethat everypersonthatusestheinternethaveameaningful experience.Here’showitworks.YousendRapleafa listofallyouremailaddressesforyourusers.Rapleaf thensearchesitsdatabaseforthatparticularemail addressandthenprovidesyouwithinformationabout thepersonassociatedwiththatemailaddress includingage,gender,andlocation.

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TENCOMMANDMENTSTO

COMMANDMENTS#2.ThouShallBlogLikeCrazy

Createyourprofilessoonerratherthanlaterbecauseif someoneelsetakesthem,theyaregoneforeverThisisreferredto ascybersquatting.Sogetbusy–getouttherenowandstart creatingyourprofiles.YoucanuseOpenSocialtomakethefilling outofeachprofileaseasyas1,2,3andaclickofabutton.

COMMANDMENTS#3.ThouShallUploadLotsofPhotos

Uploadasmanygoodphotographsasyouhave.Nowthis doesn’tmeanyoushouldbeuploadingpicturesofyoudancingona tabletopwearingalampshade,asthesetypesofphotographswill hurtyounothelpyouCustomersandpotentialcustomerswantto seephotographsofyouparticipatingandyourcompanyinaction Youraudiencewanttoputafacewithyourcompany

COMMANDMENTS4.ThouShallPodcastOften

Youcanusethefreeaudiosoftwareonyourcomputeror investinarelativelycheapcamera.Podcastscanrun24hoursa day.Onceyou’vecreatedyourpodcaststhere’snocost associatedwithprovidingthemtoyourcustomersandpotential customersandtheyofferagreatdealofvalueinbuildingyour business.Dointerviews,traininglessons,andanyothertypeof podcastthatisinteresting,entertain-ing,andrelevant.

COMMANDMENTS5.ThouShallUploadalltheVideosYouCanFind.

Postvideos,morevideos,andthensomemorevideos.Theycanbe customervideos,trainingvideos,orentertainingvideos.Sograbthe videocameraandgetoutthereandstartinterviewingcustomersand anyoneelsethatcanprovidevaluedinformation.Picturesare worthathousandwordsandahappycustomersmilingisjustthat.

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COMMANDMENTS#6.ThouShallImmediatelySetAlerts

Alertsareamust.Whenpeoplearetalkingaboutyouand yourbusinessyouwanttobealertedastowhattheyaresaying andwhentheyaresayingThisinformationcanbeusefulin creatingpowerfulsocialmediacampaigns.

COMMANDMENTS7.ThouShallGetConnectedWithEveryone.

GetconnectedbysigninguptoLinkedIn,Facebook,Twitter, andothersocialmediasitesOnyouremailsignatureputthatyou haveaLinkedIn,Facebook,andTwitteraccount.Alsoincludeiton yourbusinesscards,onyourletterhead,andanywhereelsewhere thereisanopportunitytopromoteyoursocialmediapresence.

COMMANDMENTS

8.ThouShallCommentonaMultitudeofBlogs.

Commentingonblogsisabitlikehavingachatatacocktailparty, orothertypeofeventJustasyouwouldnotwalkintoacocktail partyoreventwalkuptoagroupthat’schattingandtellthemyour nameandyourbusiness,youshouldn’tdoitonablog.Postinga commentonablogisfinebutyoudon’twanttocomeacrossas rude.Sofirstlistenbyreadingthepostsandthenmakeacomment post.It’sokaytobecontroversialorvoiceyouropinionevenifit doesn’tagreewiththepostersopinion,butyoumustdoitina mannerthat’srespectful.There’sagreatopportunityhereto promoteyourbusinesssodon’tmissoutonit.

COMMANDMENTS9.ThouShallExploreSocialMediaFora MinimumOf30MinutesPerWeek

Everyweekyoushouldexploresocialmediaforatleast30 minutes.Ofcourse,longerisbetter.Sowhynotgrabacupofjava andparkyourselfinfrontofyourcomputerfor30minutesandstart

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searching.UsingGooglesearchengineisaneffectivewayto searchforandfindsocialmediasites.Thisisalsoagoodwayto lookatexpandingintoothersocialmediasites.

COMMANDMENTS10.ThouShallbeCreative.

Ofallthecommandments,thisisbyfarthemostimportant. Havesomefunandletyourcreativityflow.Knowwhatyour customerswantandexpectandthenprovidethattothemina mannerthatcatchestheirattention.Rememberyouraudience wantstrans-parency,authenticity,tobeabletocommunicate openly,andtohavealittlefun.

Thesetencommandmentswillguideyouinyourquestfor maxi-mizingsocialmediamarketing. Pocket

CONCLUSION

SocialmediahastaketheworldbystormBusinessesthat recognizethisandthepowerofthisvirtualworldaretakingadvantage oftheopportunitytogrowandprosperusingsocialmediamarketing Don’tbeafraidtoreachouttomanydifferent socialmediachannelsandvenuesWe’vediscussedmanyin thise-book,butthereareplentyofothersWe’vepointedyouin therightdirectionnowgetbusyandexpandontheinformation we’veprovided.

Socialmediamakesiteasyforyoutotargettheappropriate audi-enceThere’slittlevalueintargetingthewrongaudienceFor exam-ple,ifyouaresellingadultentertainmentyouwouldn’twant totargetafamilyaudienceBepatient,takethenecessarytimeto determinewhichchannelswillbestbenefityourbusiness.

Joingroups,likepages,andinteractasmuchaspossible. Themoreyouinteractandengageindiscussionthemoreyour followingwillgrowandthemoreyourbusinesswillprosper.Your commentsanddiscussionsshouldofferinformationthat’s relevant,andinterest-ing.Postingjusttopostwillannoyyour audience,whichisnotwhatyouwanttodo.

Youcanstartslowlysothatyoudon’tbecomeoverwhelmedFace-

bookisagoodplacetostartfollowedbyTwitter,and YouTubeOnceyou’vecreatedyourprofiles,setupyour page(s),youarereadytobegintoenjoyallthatsocial mediahastooffer.Itwon’ttakeyoulongatalltoputyour planintoplay,especiallyifyoumakeuseofthevalu-able informationwe’veprovidedyou.

Marketingiskeytothesuccessofanybusiness.Those businessesthatrecognizethepowerofsocialmedia marketingwillbemilesaheadofthecompetition.Soare youreadytotakeyourbusinesstonewlevels?Areyou readytojumpstartyourclientbase?Andareyoureadyto sharewithothersjusthowyouwereabletobecomeso successfulbecausetheyaregoingtobeasking.The secretisyourstokeepforaslongasyoulike.