Social Media Marketing Trends

Website design By BotEap.comFacebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and many others have a new kid in town vying for the crown of social media and top marketing trends. Google launched its Google+ social networking site in June 2011 and is ready to take the internet by storm. In a month, it reached more than 20 million users and could very well overtake Facebook, which has seen a drop in its 750 million users. There are those who believe that it may be the first to reach ONE BILLION users.

Website design By BotEap.comSocial media has changed our world in a huge way. There are those who live on FB playing Farmville and posting on everyone’s walls like crazy. It can be quite irritating at times when people try to use your wall to advertise their latest marketing idea without asking for permission. Then the ‘remove friend’ button is pressed and they disappear into cyberspace.

Website design By BotEap.comThe most serious users of social networks do it to improve their Internet presence or ‘brand’. They create fan pages and invite people to like them. On those pages, it’s okay to create a great marketing page because those who view it have given their permission to do marketing by hitting the ‘like’ button. If you don’t want to receive email information about posts, you can always opt out. That’s called ‘permission-based marketing’.

Website design By BotEap.comFacebook: it’s more than a place to play

Website design By BotEap.comThere are very serious companies that use social networks to market their company, services and products. This has come as a big surprise to many Facebook and Twitter users who see the service as a way to connect and message friends, family and business associates. A lot of people have been put off by all the advertising, especially on Facebook where you can now find ads on the side of your page about anything and everything.

Website design By BotEap.comBusinesses see social media as a way to engage with existing customers and engage with others in a way that encourages them to become full-fledged customers or buyers. This is what makes these networks so valuable.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile others add vegetables or animals to their simulated ‘Farmville’ farms, serious marketers are exploring and using social media to enhance and grow their customer bases.

Website design By BotEap.comWhether your business is large or small, Facebook can be a great place to network and find customers, clients, or associates for your business. Their instant messaging system is great for starting conversations, getting to know them and giving them just enough information to whet their appetite for more.

Website design By BotEap.comDon’t use IM as a “Hey, I’ve got this great business opportunity I’d like to show you.” Never do that. You may instantly “not be friends” and lose any opportunity to first show that you are interested in them as a friend first and a “prospect” second. Allow them to come to you because it gives you all the power in the situation. You never want to come across as someone who is desperate or begging them to look at what you have to sell or offer.

Website design By BotEap.comGet as many people as possible to “Like” your Facebook Page and ask them for feedback on the content.

Website design By BotEap.comHave you ever heard the expression “Content is King”? The more comments you get the better because it gets broadcast in your newsfeed and that gives you free publicity! Also put the link to your fan page on your personal FB page as a link in the ‘info’ section of your page.

Website design By BotEap.comcan get crybaby

Website design By BotEap.comWith any online or offline business, you will get the occasional whiner that you don’t want to be bothered with your ads or your approach. Just send them a “Sorry I bothered you” message and immediately delete them. They are too busy playing Words with Friends or using other fun apps to think about something as simple as making money and being successful.

Website design By BotEap.comDon’t let others bother you with some complaints or verbal attacks. Just ‘make it up’ and they will eventually move on to the next person they feel has offended them. If someone starts complaining about your aggressive marketing techniques on your page or your own page, you should contact them and ask what you can do to fix any issues they have with you. Fix it now or regret it later.

Website design By BotEap.comYou don’t want them spreading it all over the internet and if you are nice to them and offer to do something for them in exchange for removing their negative comments, you can make a friend and prevent any harm to yourself, your business and your brand.

Website design By BotEap.comThe most important thing you have is your reputation and doing everything you can to avoid problems now is better than having to fix something later.

Website design By BotEap.comCultivate those with influence

Website design By BotEap.comInfluencers are men and women who have created a great profile and presence for themselves online and offline. People “drink their Kool-Aid” and every time they go through their customer lists or customers with a new product, they make tons of money. If you can build good relationships with some of them, they may even include one of your offers on their lists and that’s a potential gold mine. They blog, tweet, and write articles that are highly sought after by those interested in whatever their particular topic is.

Website design By BotEap.comMost of them have extremely loyal followings due to their high profile and the fact that when they offer a new product or service, it usually comes with lots of “freebies” from other authors or specialists in various fields that flow well with whatever the ” influencer”. It is offering

Website design By BotEap.comTo find influencers, simply find a way to reach them through conversations on Twitter, Facebook, blog posts, forums, or even message boards.

Website design By BotEap.comYou can also become a contributor by answering questions on specific topics. Of course, he can identify himself, but don’t use those posts to promote yourself or his company. Engage them in a conversation and offer links to related articles or posts. A link from your site to the influencer connects you to them being a follower and others will see your posts and if they are well written you will attract attention and your brand will start to build.

Website design By BotEap.comTo tweet or not to tweet

Website design By BotEap.comYou absolutely need to get a Twitter account and start building a list of followers. Just do a Google search for apps that will help you market on Twitter.

Website design By BotEap.comYou can use your audience building app to find followers. You’ll find Twitter users that are relevant to you and your particular business or interests. You can create targeted Twitter campaigns and track their progress and activity. The most important thing is to be consistent, make a plan and follow it.

Website design By BotEap.comTwitter can help build great clients or customer relationships. A business can ‘tweet’ information about their company, products and even the latest offer, and that leads to more sales or, for a home business, more leads.

Website design By BotEap.comKeep in mind that there is no limit to what you can do through social networks. Create a marketing plan and put it into action as soon as possible. With focus and determination, you may well be the next “big thing” online.