Not too long ago companies reached their target market through a combination of trade shows, print advertising, and other traditional methods. Although those methods still work today, consumers have shifted how and where they begin their search for products. They often start that search using Internet search engines, blog reviews and social media networks.
If businesses are to remain competitive they must begin to harness the power social media marketing and blogging can provide. Developing communities of followers that are passionate about your product is one way to ensure building not only brand recognition, but also repeat sales. The viral marketing aspect alone that social media channels provide can launch virtually any product’s sales over the top.
However, with all the hype over the use of social media as a marketing strategy, many business owners find it difficult to not only grasp the concept, but to implement it as well.
What is Social Media?
Social media is a channel or group channels of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Typical social media services encourage user interaction through discussion, feedback, voting, comments, and sharing of information.
Unlike traditional marketing methods which are often one-way (you sending a message to your target), social media marketing involves more of a two-way conversation (you and your prospects interacting back and forth together in conversation.)
Social media is about staying connected or linked to other sites, resources, and people. It’s about developing and building relationships with individuals who are interested in the products you offer and the company you represent. It’s a powerful channel that can help gain exposure and build lifetime value.
Types of Social Media
Social Media marketing involves a number of components working together to build awareness of a particular point of interest. In the case of ecommerce businesses, that point of interest might be a product.
You might be familiar with popular social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and MySpace. Social media however takes many forms. Most commonly it takes the form of blogs, microblogs, podcasts, video, forums, wiki’s or some other content driven community.
How Social Media can Benefit Your Business
- Increased brand awareness
- Provides the ability to manage your reputation.
- Inexpensive alternative to generating traffic which is interested in what you offer.
- Higher search engine rankings (through blogging).
- Builds customer lifetime value.
- Adds a viral component to your business and gets you closer to your customers.
- Offers various ways to measure and track performance.
Wondering if you would benefit from tapping into this growing channel of social media? The answer is a definite yes! Voom Ventures can help.
Voom Ventures will plan and implement a Social Media marketing package that helps your business grab hold of the benefits it provides and assist you in gaining the exposure needed to build your business. Contact us today to learn more.