Relating to Social Media Network Marketing
I’ve gone over particular characteristics of social media marketing in several different posts over the years, nevertheless as far as I know I have never undertaken an “all-in-one” kind of article, outlining the differences that can be found with Social Media as well as the numerous ways a person could leverage them.
Social Media is growing like no media has ever grown before. MySpace was one of the earliest mass social platforms, then Facebook, Twitter and the list goes on and on. As Internet Marketers Social Media is a relatively new, HUGE market and opportunity, but it’s far from a secret!
Right now there are millions of web-sites committed to leveraging Social Media to do this, that and the other. It’s a marketing machine, but only a small percentage of internet marketers are actually benefiting from it because nearly all seem to be simply confused by it all. This posting is my attempt at clearing up that confusion.
Let’s start off with the actual definition. Wikipedia states that:
“Social media is content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies.”
That’s the actual “book” explanation, but it actually all comes down to the very first word “social.” Any kind of site that is driven by user-generated information is a social media site!
With that being said, let me tell you some thing that most people don’t realize for a WHILE, which usually causes them to waste time bugging legitimate consumers and spamming those users… ultimately getting their accounts suspended: There are MANY different kinds of social media web sites and each one offers it’s own advantages to you as an Internet Marketer.
Some can be leveraged in the same fundamental way. Many provide the very same benefit if leveraged the right way, but all are different!
For instance, social bookmarking websites such as Digg and Stumbleupon are best leveraged as direct exposure tools. Great, viral content which you create can gain thousands, even millions, of new site visitors coming from these sites when your website visitors bookmark them. But, you don’t go to Digg or SU to build hyperlinks (it’s all nofollowed) or to network. There are some other social bookmarking websites that will give you a followed hyperlink. In that respect there can even end up being several that are great for social networking. That is where my point comes in. They are all different!
LinkedIn is a social site which is all about networking. Meeting many people within your own niche. Making associates, which is definitely just what social networking is all about!
Facebook and Twitter are handy for direct exposure and social networking. And as a side note, I would suggest creating separate accounts for business and also personal use.
At this time there is a massive dilemma with several social media sites and spam, particularly Twitter. This issue comes from mislead entrepreneurs who do not fully grasp that each website is different. The difficulty is spam. However this spam is not coming through deceptive, unethical scammers like most spam comes from. It is coming from “newbie” Internet Marketers who are getting very broad advice concerning the subject and acting on that info without any real clarity.
I get direct messages on Twitter on a daily basis from people talking like we’re best friends even though I have never talked to them in my life. They really don’t realize that Twitter (for instance) is just like real life. Start using it so that you can make friends, speak NORMAL to folks. Get to know them, enable them…
Things like this take place on just about all of the big social sites. Each problem is without question unique to the site it occurs on, but it all comes from users seeking to use a social platform in the inappropriate way.
And so exactly how can I end up being different and furnish a clear remedy? Unfortunately the best advice I can offer you, or anybody may offer you for that matter, is to look at each website differently!
Every time a new social media site starts to gain popularity I create an account and start using it HOW IT’S MEANT TO BE USED. As soon as I know it, I then start to think of methods in which it can benefit my business, if any.
It comes down to this. Virtually all social media sites are best leveraged by using them EXACTLY HOW THEY’RE MEANT TO BE USED! Never push URL’s on to folks you really don’t know. Don’t bend or break the rules of the sites. Simply sign up, find out the particular objective and intention of the site and use it. Marketing is not always about ads and pushy sales talk. It is also about making friends, sharing ideas and information, helping people and just being active.
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