Social Media: So much more than just your profile

Posted by Anton on Jul 29, 2011 in Social Media

The world wide web is the primary tool in market globalization.  Borders and distance are no longer a hindrance in getting people to buy and sell services or products.  Social media is becoming a top priority for many website developers and this is encouraged by the huge success of Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the most recent one, Google+.

Various Web 2.0 sites have millions of users around the globe and this makes these channels the perfect target for online marketing.  These channels are more than just a meeting spot where people can make friends.  Marketers are using the potential of these channels in various online marketing strategies as these systems are great for advertising.

Five of the most promising Web 2.0 channels today are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the newest one, Google+. Though they are all using different mechanisms for networking, the concept stays the same.  Connecting is done by becoming a fan, following a member, add a connection, following a channel, and adding someone to a circle.

Find below a short intro on 5 Web 2.0 channels to get you started.

Facebook

Facebook’s appeal lies in its convenience and popularity.  Creating a dedicated Facebook Fan page for your business or company and then inviting targeted people to your “space” on Facebook can easily increase exposure for your services or products. For every instance that a person “likes” or leaves a comment on your Fan page wall, this is sent to their own profile where other people in their network can see this. It is very a very fast and efficient way of getting others to advertise for you.

Twitter

This is one of the easiest Web 2.0 channels where you can create a profile on.  When you follow people on Twitter, you can keep track of whatever they post.  This could be in the form of a reply to another user or a personal update regarding their daily activities.  Twitter is very effective in passing the word around for a product or service that you are marketing.  Do not just tweet about your services and products as this is one of the easiest ways to lose followers.  With any social media channel that you are using, provide value first before you start marketing.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is seen as a professional social network.  Businesses on LinkedIn are able to build networks with other businesses, job hunters, and even entrepreneurs. Discussion threads keeps the linking wheel going on. Initiating a discussion and posting a blog post enables others to respond on what you have to say.  They can also ask questions about the services or products and even details on making a purchase.

YouTube

There are more or less 120 million users on YouTube and according to  Alexa global traffic rank, YouTube is #3. Adding YouTube to your social media strategy can be very powerful, but video marketing is a strategy on its own. People all over the world rely on YouTube search for an increasingly wide range of information.  On YouTube there are over 200,00 new videos uploaded every day.

Google+

This is the latest Web 2.0 channel and it’s already making a huge stir in the social media universe.  Some call it the “Facebook Killer”, but I really don’t see it as that.  It is just another social media medium to use for building your community online. Google+ is packed with many interesting and exciting features but it’s going to take a while for people to catch up on all the features. Only time will tell if Google+ will be the success that Google aims to achieve.

Your social media profiles

Even though an intro of the top Web 2.0 channels described above can point you in the right direction to get started with your social media campaign, by only creating a profile on these channels will not bring you success.  Many marketers online claim the fact that social media is a “cheap” and a “quick” way to get you noticed, but depending on what you want to achieve with your social media strategy, doing it “cheap” and “easy” can do your business more harm than good.

The integration of social media inside your company is not a quick and easy way to get noticed online.  Even though it is much cheaper than most of the other online marketing strategies, it costs time and lots of research to run a successful social media marketing campaign.

Social media is all about listening before you start selling and providing value before you start marketing.