What is Social Media?

Social media marketing is a marketing platform that allows you to market your business or website through social sites.  Unlike conventional marketing channels, social media marketing is based on interaction with your target audience.  Instead of TV or radio advertising that tell the consumer what to think, in social media marketing the reader can talk to you or your past customers and form their own opinion of your product or service.  When executed correctly marketing through social sites is extremely effective at driving massive amounts of targeted traffic your way and can be significantly less costly than traditional marketing methods.  Which poses the question, how do you use it “correctly?”

Social media marketing takes some finesse.  It is not about pushing what you have to offer in someone’s face.  It is first and foremost about marketing yourself and your product second.  Your goal should be establishing yourself as an authority through social sites by giving your audience information they can use.  Spamming the internet with “buy my stuff” posts isn’t going to get you anything but a bad reputation for you and your company. You should make people want to visit your site, not try and force them to.

The key to getting people to want to go to your site is establishing a relationship them.  (Note the keyword relationship.)  You have to give people the opportunity to get to know the real you.  If people feel like they know you they will be more likely to listen to you.  Don’t always talk about “me, me, me” and this is what I do.  Social media is about making friends that you otherwise wouldn’t have the outreach to make so treat them like friends.  Don’t be that obnoxious person that is constantly peddling something.  You wouldn’t walk up to everyone on the street and ask them to buy your product so why would on the internet?  Get to know them, let them know you and when that person is ready to buy they will feel like they have made the decision based on what they know of your character and your business and not what you’ve told them to think.

While social media marketing has given business owners a powerful way to connect with their audience and humanize their business, it has also given consumers a voice.  Now more than ever businesses need to be sure they deliver what they promise.  Feedback on your product or service, good and bad, will travel faster and further than it ever has because of social media so be sure to stay committed to your customer satisfaction.