Putting the "Social" back into "Social Media"

 I have been reflecting lately about just how important it is to understand what makes social media work for online businesses.

Social media may mean different things depending on which site you utilize.. For example, Twitter is  designed  basically for  “updates” with others. Facebook has a far broader program,  allowing news articles,  photos,  events organization and joining,  along with status updates.

One main strength of social media is that it supports SEO campaigns,  allowing your company name or profile to pop up when linked to activity on the web.

Dynamic Business has an article about how social media is thriving these days as a branding and marketing tool.

  Expanding the client base,  increasing sales,  and upping SEO power are what most online business owners have in mind when they decide to get into Facebook and Twitter accounts.

But exactly how and why does this work?

From their piece:

No one really knows whether getting Facebook likes or re-tweets equates to new customers.  Most presume that eventually it does, otherwise why bother participating? Whatever the end result, simply being part of the conversation is fundamentally important. Here are the simple facts why:

• All combined social media networks have in excess of a billion members.
• More people get their news online.
• Social media is increasingly integrating itself into our lives as a routine and not as an activity.

What this means is that more and more people are using, connecting and sharing information on social media and other online platforms. This is now a valid communication channel that is culturally shifting the way we connect and communicate, and businesses need to grasp this.

Here are three key points every business must consider:

Community management

It takes more than likes, followers or views to be successful on social media. To begin with, it takes development, planning, effort, and an engaging environment. Businesses must listen, create conversation and interaction while at the same time producing a valuable and interesting experience for customers and reinforcing the brand positioning and unique selling point of the business.

Content development

Content generation and a publisher mind set is no longer enough when it comes to content. A business must be able to create valid content in multiple, shareable formats. The aim is to build a connection between the brand and its community that is authentic, creative and motivating.

Burberry’s activity in 2011 made it a stand out brand for social media interaction. Its Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter shows were streamed live through a video feed. In addition to this, its fragrance ‘Body’ wasn’t unveiled on TV, but on Burberry.com and YouTuberewarding individuals who liked Burberry on Facebook.

Social media tools

Investing in social media applications is beneficial. It doesn’t require a huge financial outlay, often just paying a little extra will give you a raft of more features than you’d get with the free version. This means that you’re able to do more with the platform, such as monitor engagement, manage mailing lists and so on. It’s important you choose the right tools for your business, along with the appropriate strategies to ensure you stay on top of evolving technologies.

It’s essential SMEs embrace social media and see it as an opportunity to engage and encourage consumers. Social media is constantly changing, so being ready to change with it is vital. Those that don’t attempt to understand are choosing to ignore one of the most significant developments in technology, media and marketing.

Why does your business need Social Media to stay ahead?

Q: WHY does my company need social media?
A: Let us help you understand how it can help your business

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is an effective way for you to interact with new and existing customers and provide value for your brand.

With new competitors emerging daily, your brand must keep customers engaged. Today, social network use is one of the top 4 online activities.

Social media marketing is an unobtrusive marketing platform that allows buyers to interact with your brand at a personal level.

By tracking comments and feedback on social networks your company can determine if customers are happy with your products and services.

This vital, direct-from-consumer data will help your company predict and track emerging buyer trends. If you haven't yet considered this type of marketing, you're already behind the competition.

visit the MMCG website for more help with your social media needs

MMCG can help with all your social media needs: Strategic Social Media for the 21st century

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Metro Media Consulting Group can help with all your Social Media Marketing Needs :  "Strategic Social Media for the 21st Century" 

As set forth by Web Hosting Masters,  these are the top 5 strategic methods of social media to give a mega-boost to your business SEO:  

5 Top Social Media Marketing Strategies You Should Be Using

1. A Facebook fan page

If you have a business, whether it is all online or not, then you need to have a Facebook fan page. This is how you can communicate with your current clients daily and build more business. Plus you can add an icon to your website andblog to help you get more fans on your page.

The Facebook fan page is one of the best ways to keep all your clients in one place and let them know what you are doing. You can get repeat business from announcing special pricing, sales, and new products with your page as well. It is one more reminder for your clientele that you are out there and ready to work for them.

2. A Twitter profile

Have you become a part of the Twitter craze? If not, then you should be building your profile as soon as you finish reading the rest of these tips. You could even stop right now and go get a profile up and ready to go, and then come back to the final three tips here. Twitter is a very powerful website and you need to be using it.

Twitter will allow you to create a profile for your business and as you get followers you can gain branding, exposure, and traffic to your website, Facebook fan page, and blog. This is a great way to keep in touch and let your followers know what you are doing as well.

3. The outsourcing strategy

If you really want to use one of the best social media marketing strategies and gain exposure and backlinks, then you need to consider outsourcing or hiring a service to help you get more backlinks fast. Not all of the social media sites are like Facebook and Twitter. Some are considered social bookmarking sites and they are very powerful.

You can hire a service or a person that will bookmark all of your webpages, blog posts, your Twitter page, and even your Facebook fan page on these social bookmarking sites. This can give you a ton of different backlinks that have a good amount of power. This will help you rank better on search engines and get more traffic.

4. Adding icons to your website and blog

Another one of the top social media marketing strategies is to add the icons for each social media and social bookmarking site to your blog and website. This will allow all of your visitors the opportunity to share your posts and information on all of the different social websites.

Imagine if just 10% of your visitors shared your blog posts or webpages on their Facebook and Twitter account. This could bring you in a ton of traffic. Plus if they share it, then their friends can share it, and their friends, friends can share it, and so on. This can become very powerful if you use it correctly.

5. Combining all the different social media marketing strategies

If you really want to gain backlinks, traffic, exposure, and branding for your company, website, or blog, then you may want to use all of the different social media marketing strategies together in a full social marketing plan. This could help you get a ton of exposure and backlinks, which will make your site more powerful for the long run.

Why are Social Media Marketing Strategies so Powerful?

Many of those that are on the internet are on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon, FriendFeed, MySpace, and many of the other social sites that are out there. Some people actually get all their news from some of the social bookmarking sites and some people spend hours upon hours every single day on sites like Facebook.

This means that if you are in front of them in any way on these sites they will remember you better and your brand can be built. This will make your business, your website, and your blog more powerful. Social media marketing strategies are incredibly powerful and you need to have a plan to use them.

Another thing to consider is that nearly half the people carrying a cellular phone have a smart phone now. These phones have instant access to the social sites that are most popular and apps for the ones that are not as popular. This means that if you send out a Facebook post to your fans many of them will get it instantly right on their phone.

Could you imagine the business you could get when you announce a huge sale or a new product this way? Many have seen huge returns on launching a product over social sites and have used this to boost profits right from the beginning. This is why social media marketing strategies are so important and powerful.SOURCE

Related articles

• Use Facebook to Drive Traffic To Your Site (famousbloggers.net)
• Finding the Right Tool to Monitor, Manage, and Measure Your Social Media Marketing Activity (blogs.constantcontact.com)
• Social media marketing - Let us guide you on your excursion (addisonscompasspr.wordpress.com)
• Frost's First Rule of Social Media Marketing: "Know Why You're Doing What You're Doing" (allisterfrost.com)

Social Media Events 2011

Image via WikipediaA calendar of upcoming Social Media Events :

http://www.socialmedia.biz/2011/01/03/2011-conferences-social-media-tech-marketing/

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Social Media Management : The Persona and Character

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I came across a superb article regarding what makes for  fantastic social media management and the ability to achieve maximum search engine optimization. 

   It is by Mike Sweeney and it appears on Social Media Today.

Besides the excellent writing and content,  I am surprised and pleased at how many of these traits my partner Suzan Pleva has.  She is a serious social media professional,  and I would like to emulate some of her qualitites: 

From Sweeney's article:  

The Must Haves

• You are a marketer first, social media marketer second.

Social media marketing is just another marketing tactic in a pool of lots of marketing tactics. If you don’t understand how social media works with content marketing, SEO or email marketing, you’re simply not as qualified as the next candidate who does.

• You are a very good writer.

Some argue that writing has become less important in a world of scanners, skimmers and tweeters. On the contrary, writing is more important than ever.

• You understand that content drives social media marketing.

Social media conversations can be very fruitful, but conversations plus engaging content is the formula that takes your social media efforts to the next level.

• You embrace the “social” aspect of social media marketing.

You have to like reaching out to people and engaging in conversations, albeit conversations that are a bit different than the ones you might have in your living room. I don’t care if you know how to use every Twitter application in the universe; if you don’t start with a passion for learning about people, you’ll eventually grow tired of this position.

• You know or want to learn the ins and outs of social media properties.

You have to possess a natural curiosity and penchant for exploring the nooks and crannies that others simply don’t pay attention to, because with social media, you never know where your audience is lurking.

The Nice-to-Haves

• You move quickly but with a defined purpose.

Social media is a fast-moving game, but fast cannot turn into sloppy.

• You are a real self-starter.

I hear the phrase “self-starter” at least once a day, and I only know a handful of true self-starters. If you are one of the real ones, you may have a place in social media marketing. In any industry or category that is still being defined, self-starters can secure an immediate advantage.

• You are not a diva (or the male equivalent).

Social media marketing is a team sport. Everyone has an ego, but if you want to play this role you’d better find a way to suppress it.

• You think strategically.

If you are able to articulate how social media fits into a broader marketing strategy and how it contributes to even broader corporate goals, you are golden.

Bonus Points

• You never call yourself a social media maven or guru.

Most social media mavens or gurus could never actually manage a social media campaign; they just play the super hero role in meetings.

• You come with a social media audience.

If you’re joining an organization and already have a social media following, you have a head start. That alone should not get you the job though.

For those of you who consider yourselves exceptional social media managers, what is missing from this list? For those of you who have hired social media managers, what separates the good candidates from the poor ones?

 Some more interesting banter on this topic ,  from Design Spike: 

• We like you if you know how to implement a strategic plan.
• We don’t like you if you just randomly start throwing stuff out & responding to g_d knows who about g_d knows what.
• We like you if you know how to monitor (no, not sucking up to Lisa & Marty, but they both rock this…take a look at their systems and try ‘em).
• We don’t like you if you ignore mentions or questions.
• We like if you if you try out the latest and the greatest to see what’s what.
• We don’t like you if you swear by all of them and think we should use ‘em all.
• We really really really like you if you are transparent and honest.
• We can’t even look you in the eye if you’re disingenuous, cheesy, salesy…you get the picture.

If you want a good job description for a Community Manager, check out Marty Weintraub’s blog post on the subject (um, heads up, we so think he’s the man.). And Jamie Lynn Morgan has a great quick blog repost on What Makes a Good Community Manager from 5to9 Branding.

So get out and find or create a great online social media or community manager. But look for honesty, ingenuity, brilliance, and integrity. Source 

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