Social Media Marketing, Fact and Lies

Social Media Marketing seems to be the current buzz word for anybody seeking to increase their online presence and sales, however is Social Media Marketing (SMM) all it is cracked up to be?

S.M.M companies are now springing up all over the location these days and they are telling anybody that will listen about how extremely crucial social media like Facebook twitter and YouTube are to your service but, for the typical small to medium sized service, does marketing to social networks truly live up to all the buzz? Social media marketing business are all too happy to point out the positives of social media like how numerous people utilize Facebook or how numerous tweets were sent out last year and how lots of people see YouTube videos and so on but are you getting the complete photo? Being the research study nut that I am, I decided to take an excellent look into SMM in regard to offering to see if it really worked, who did it work for and if it did why did Social Media Marketing work for them?

As a web designer I was continuously (and now increasingly) faced with several social networking obstacles when prospective customers would say that having a site sounds good however they had a Facebook business page and had actually been informed by different sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social media networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their requirements it became rather clear that those prospective clients didn't really understand why they needed socials media or SMM to produce online sales, They simply wanted it. For small and medium sized organisation I always advised building a quality site over any kind of social media, why? Well it's easy really due to the fact that social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not company media and service networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). I understand that sounds simple however it holds true and the data back it up. The fact is that social media marketing cannot tell you that Facebook is a social network not an online search engine and despite the variety of Facebook users and Google users being around the exact same, people do not use Facebook in the same way that they use an online search engine like Google (which has around half the search engine market), Yahoo and Bing to search for organisation or items. They utilize it to communicate with family and friends or for news and entertainment. In a recent research study done by the IBM Institute for Business Worth around 55% of all social media users stated that they do not engage with brand names over social media at all and just around 23% really actively utilize social media to communicate with brand names. Now from all the people who do utilize social media and who do interact with brands whether purposefully or not, the bulk (66%) state they need to feel a company is interacting truthfully prior to they will interact.

So how do you utilize social media marketing? And is it even worth doing?

Well first of all I would state that having actually a well optimized website is still going to bring you far more service that social media in the majority of cases especially if you are a small to medium sized local service since far more people are going to type in "hair stylist Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Site and if you don't have a site you're missing out on out on all of that potential company. In spite of all the (not so excellent) data I still believe it is still a good idea for company to use social media simply not in the very same method that a lot of SMM professionals are today, Why? Is it in a Social Media Marketing company's best interest to talk social networks up?

One of the greatest issues company face with social networks and SMM is perception. The main reason the majority of people provide for engaging with brands or business on social media is to receive discount rates, yet the brand names and company themselves think the primary reason individuals connect with them on social media is to find out about brand-new items. A lot of services think social media will increase advocacy, but only 38 % of consumers agree.

If they desire to see some sort of result from it, companies need to discover more ingenious methods to link with social media. There were some great initiatives displayed in the IBM research study of business that had actually gotten some sort of a deal with on ways to use social media to their advantage, keeping in mind that when asked exactly what they do when they engage with services or brand names through social media, consumers list "getting discount rates or vouchers" and "acquiring product or services" as the top two activities, respectively an U.S ice cream company called Cold Stone Creamery used discount rates on their products on their Facebook page. Additionally there is an excellent program released by Finest Buys in the U.S called Twelpforce where employees can respond to consumer's concerns through Twitter. With both Cold Stone Creamery and Twelpforce the advantage is clearly in the favour of the fantastic trick & the possible client to social media marketing is to sell without trying to offer (or appearing like your selling) sadly most social media marketing is focused the wrong way.

Constructing a concrete buyer to customer relationship through social media is difficult and most likely the most benefit to service' using social media to boost their sites Google rankings. Business' require to understand that you can't simply setup a Facebook company page and hope for the best. SMM needs effort and prospective customers have to see worth in what you have to use through your social media efforts give them something worth their social interaction and time then you may get better outcomes.

Now just as a footnote Facebook shares have dropped to under $20 per share, that's half their initial cost ... and the lawsuits are flying


As a web designer I was constantly (and now significantly) faced with numerous social networking difficulties when potential customers would say that having a site sounds great but they had a Facebook organisation page and had been told by numerous sources (the ever present yet anonymous "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their needs it became rather clear that those potential customers didn't really know why they required social networks or SMM to generate online sales, They simply wanted it. Well it's basic truly because social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not service media and company networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a current study done by the IBM Institute for Organisation Value around 55% of all social media users stated that they do not engage with brand names over social media at all and only around 23% in fact purposefully utilize social media to communicate with brands. Well initially of all I would state that having a well enhanced website is still going to bring you far more organisation that social media in many cases especially if you are a Elite Digital Marketing agency small to medium sized local service because far more individuals are going to type in "hairdresser Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Website and if you don't have a site you're missing out on all of that possible company. The main reason a lot of people provide for connecting with brands or organisation on social media is to receive discount rates, yet the brands and business themselves believe the primary reason individuals communicate with them on social media is to learn about brand-new products.

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