Social media marketing has taken the marketing world by storm and as a result, many companies are flooding in trying to take advantage of it. However, there are specific pitfalls that you will need to avoid if you want to use this powerful form of marketing for your company.
Let’s focus on the top three forms of social media marketing, including Twitter, Facebook and Blogs.
Twitter is a new service that allows you to collect followers and follow interesting people. The basic purpose of the service was to keep friends apprised of your daily activities, but it has morphed into a very powerful marketing tool. By seeking out targeted followers, and sending them periodic messages, you can build your brand and market your products or services effectively.
Before jumping into Twitter with both feet, it is a good idea to watch how other companies are utilizing the service. While it is tempting to want to get your message out as often as possible, it is best to follow a simple rule of thumb – for every one post you make that is marketing your product, you should make two that are non-related.
This helps build up a level of trust with your followers and they will know you are not trying to spam them. Marketing is allowed on Twitter, but it is frowned upon if it is too aggressive.
Facebook operates much the same way as Twitter, only you have some extra features. This is an ideal place for networking and you can build a very large and targeted audience with some time and a little patience. Thousands of companies are using Facebook on a daily basis to help cement their brands with the public and it is also very effective for product promotion.
Again, you will want to avoid hard selling when you are using social media marketing. Subtlety is the key and taking the time to build up actual relationships instead of trying to sell to everyone you come into contact with.
Blogs
Corporate blogs have gone mainstream and nearly every large company has at least one. Sun Microsystems encourages their employees to blog and you’ll find large corporate heads dipping their toes into the blogosphere. This is a different form of social media marketing, but it is no less powerful.
The key to blogging effectively is to build up an audience of targeted readers, and provide them with a resource that gives them value. Whether it’s the latest news that is related to the products or services you provide, or simply free information that they can use, blogs are a great way to get in touch with your customer base.
Hard selling is also discouraged in blogging, but you do have a little more leeway here with the ability to place graphics that promote your items, as well as occasional posts about an upcoming launch.
Social Media Tools Together
All three of these mediums offer a powerful method of reaching out to your customer base, growing your company and increasing sales. By taking the time to utilize these new marketing methods, you will keep your company cutting edge and your sales figures going up.
About Bill Rice
