Utah Business

It doesn’t matter what you sell. You can still leverage social media to attract more buyers to your site, build a customer list and sell more often.

One of the biggest issues most marketers face is knowing how to attract the right type of traffic for their products, services and affiliate programs. Social marketing and Web 2.0 are here to stay for they have impacted more lives, and reached many times more people than tools such as search engines and web pages. Social networking sites are based on getting likeminded people to do good and it is possible to use the platforms to just talk to people and in the process “sell goods without selling”.

I am giving you some basic “Social Networking” tips that you can tap into them which I find work pretty well. With any marketing, it’s important to stay on top of it as much as possible. However with social networking, it’s almost a job in of itself as you have to maintain so many sites. Don’t get me wrong, the work you put in to some social networking sites can be worth your time to gain friends, followers and etc if you apply what you’re doing appropriately.

You know that what you offer is spectacular, but if other people don’t know that, you’re going to have a really difficult time growing your business. Social networking platforms such as MySpace, Facebook and HubPages allow you to form relationships with people instantaneously. In social networking your connection with people is permission based and you establish your global presence. This is just another form of advertising you and your business and for free. The advantage you have with social media marketing over the traditional marketing is that your potential customer gets to know who you are and you begin to build trust. People buy from those they trust. Thus if they do buy, it is because of you, not the company you represent nor the products they don’t desire.

Here are some basic tips to help you get started to position yourself as an expert within your business niche.

1. You would want to consider choosing a few social networks you enjoy and/or who rank the highest and stick to those. Don’t try to do them all. Otherwise you have another full time job! MySpace is number one at the moment and falling in second place is Facebook. Hubpages, Linkedin and StumbleUpon are other ones high up there to consider. A few of my friends recommend Twitter. Apparently it is rated high in the U.S. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform where you can send out short messages to your readers. You can get flashy with Squidoo where you can create fantastic looking photos or videos on your lens.

2. Don’t just sign up without planning to participate to some degree. It is your participation that gets people to know you and build trust.

3. Make sure to fill out your profile information, the real personal you so that your potential customer gets to know who you are and you begin to build trust. Photo and web links are very important.

4. Once you have set yourself up, now it is time to socialize. You may post an article that is factual, relevant and helpful to your readers on some sites.

5. Surf around for others in the same field as you and make some friendships.

6. Give positive comments or shout about their blogs or sites.

7. Post a few ’shouts’ a week and keep them public.

8. When someone follows you and asks for friendship, use your best judgment to do it back to them.

9. Keep your social networks fresh and don’t leave them outdated. I confess I fail to do this sometimes.

10. When you ’shout’ or post updates don’t make them about “come buy or view my products or business”. Instead give some relevant free tips or advice that are helpful for others to participate.

11. Set up a blog and post articles (best to write your own articles) so that others are aware of your websites. You can use Wordpress or Blogger (both are free) to shine your expertise. A blog allows you to write short articles on topics pertinent to your customer base. Just make sure you write articles that have useful content to the readers so that they will keep coming back for more.

12. Participate in community forums that you enjoy. This will drive you some traffic.

Hope this helps.

Social networking sites where originally intended to be merely online communities where people can gather and share interests and opinions. Due to the growing popularity of many social networks they soon caught the eye of the internet marketing community. A social platform with a large membership base represented fertile grounds for marketing goods and services.

Now many entrepreneurs have flooded these social sites for the purpose of marketing online.  The splash they have made however has often times been awkward and unwelcome by many site members. The need to keep in mind that these online communities are really intended for socializing is crucial. There is a way to effectively conduct your business in a way that is less awkward for you and more welcomed by site members.

Here are 3 points you’ll need to keep in mind when approaching any social platform for the purpose of marketing online:



You Can’t Please Everybody

If you’re use to hiding behind copywriting then the interacting can be a bit of a shock. Guess what, that is why they call it ’social’ marketing. Remember this is how you interrelate with people offline … has it been that long?

Expect a healthy amount of ‘give and take’ in and amongst site members. This interaction should also include you and don’t expect that everybody will agree with your views or opinions. What makes social marketing so effective is the immediate feedback you can expect and this likely will be directed right at you. Take nothing personal and learn to benefit from any criticism you may receive.

Engage in Discussions



When I mention engaging in conversations I don’t mean listening in on them. Make yourself known and offer input where you feel you can contribute in a positive manner. If the subject is popular yet you’re not that familiar with it then listen up and learn.

Don’t be afraid to ask a question being this is a great way to meet and bond with others. The person you ask questions of today may be your customer or even mentor tomorrow!

Don’t Overextend Yourself

As you become more comfortable interacting on various social networks you may be tempted to join some others and you should. However do keep in mind that to get the most out of any one site will take some time and effort on your part since you need to be building relationships with the other members. Be reasonable with the number of sites you choose to become active at so that you don’t overextend yourself thereby diminishing your own efforts.

To conduct business on any of the social networking sites you first need to gain the acceptance of other members. Participating in discussions and making positive contributions with your comments or opinions is a key first step. Social sites are based upon the members building relationships.  If your initial focus is business any future marketing efforts likely will be ineffective. So make yourself comfortable, make some friends, and then use this base to grow your business into the future.

Integrating your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with Social Marketing is easier than you might think because Social Marketing is an essential facet of SEO and one that is becoming increasingly relevant as social networking sites continue to become more popular. If Social Marketing is a term that sounds complicated and intimidating, it can be greatly simplified and more easily understood if you consider that it is merely the oldest form of marketing around that has been given a new name.

Simply put, Social Marketing is word-of-mouth-advertising accelerated and made much more accessible by technology through the use of blogs, forums, inbound and outbound links, and social networking sites such as MySpace, Digg, Flickr, Facebook, and others. All these methods create communities of people with common interests and give them the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, offer criticism, and get feedback from their peers and your company.

Here are some ideas that you can employ to integrate SEO with Social Marketing strategies so your company gains the maximum benefit from these very dynamic marketing strategies:



Craft a Strategy – Set your SEO and Social Marketing integration up for success by crafting a marketing strategy and consulting with an experienced Internet marketing firm. Businesses such as Brick Marketing can explain the nuances of these approaches and provide invaluable insight on how they work together to help your company get results.

 

Create a Community – Consider setting up forums on your site where your target audience can ask questions and get answers from your company and other members of the forum. A large portion of your audience makes purchasing decisions after conducting online research, and this will give them one place to find the answers they seek.

 

Start a Business Blog – Start a blog on your site with relevant, well-written posts providing topical information about your goods and services as well as links to related blogs and websites. This gives your readers the information they’re looking for and provides great opportunities for quality inbound links as well.

 

Keep your Content Fresh! – Keep your online community growing and engaged with fresh, dynamic content that always gives your readers something new to read and discuss. Also remember that the major search engines will index the content of your site more often if you update it regularly.

 

Use Targeted Keywords and Phrases in your Titles and Content – Use the optimized keywords and phrases that you targeted in your initial strategy in the titles and content of your blog and forum posts. You don’t have to overdo it, just let them occur naturally.

 

Provide Links to Popular Social Networking Sites – Search popular social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Digg, and others for fresh, relevant content to link to. Remember that these links don’t always have to be all about business. You can balance the serious links with lighter, funny content as well.

 

Subscribe to RSS Feeds – With your own research and recommendations from your Internet marketing consultant, find relevant RSS feeds to feature on your site which provide fresh content and give your viewers another reason to check your site often.



 

The most important part of integrating SEO with Social Marketing is getting started and developing a plan but once these strategies are in place, you’ll be amazed by the new volume of traffic to your site.