What is Social Media?
There are many definitions of social media. I define social media as a way to engage and communicate remotely with relevant participants. It is a category of websites that is based on user participation and the sharing of user-generated content and information.
Why Use Social Media?
Using social media as part of your website and overall marketing is ideal to:
- Engage and connect with potential and existing clients
- Create awareness for your product or service
- Give people the opportunity to share insights into your business
- Leverage your time and existing resources
How Can Social Media Work for my Local Business?
Having a point of presence or touch point in the social media space where your business can engage with potential clients is a primary benefit for using social media.
If your new product offer or end of season specials need to be quickly and cheaply communicated, then a good relationship with your community via your social media sites is extremely effective.
Social media is about building relationships, trust and rapport. It is not a vehicle to advertise through consistently. People will just turn off. It is a giving relationship, not a taking one.
In the Beginning…
Web 1.0
When the web was first borne, websites were static pages full of text and images. Overtime, the graphic design industry became au fait with website development and made static websites much more visually pleasing.
The Web 1.0 or 20th Century internet was characterised by ‘brochureware’ style websites that provided a one way communication. The website/business owner spoke to the visitor.
Web 2.0
An easy way to consider social media or web 2.0 is that websites enable the visitor to talk back, to engage in a dialogue with:
- The website owner/publisher
- Other visitors to the website
YouTube is a classic Web 2.0 property. A person posts a funny video, many people can comment below. Think of the amount of people that commented on Susan Boyles “I dreamed a dream” UK idol YouTube video!
Types of Web 2.0 Platforms
Blog – a blog allows you to write an article or ‘blog post’ and post it onto the web. The very nature of a blog allows for others to provide comment. It is an engaging and interactive platform. Technologies such as WordPress, TypePad or blogger allow anyone to enter the world of blogging.
Micro Blog – Twitter is the most famous of micro blogging platforms. It allows you to post short 140 character ‘tweets’ or micro posts to the web.
Web 2.0 Properties
Online destinations for various media types are online:
- Video: YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, etc
- Images: Flickr, Photobucket
- Audio: Last.fm,
- Personal: Facebook, MySpace, Bebo | Professional: LinkedIn
Will using Social Media take up a lot of Time?
Local Website Marketing can implement a system on your website that makes updating social media sites easy. Communicate your message and leverage the internet to update your social media sites.
The benefits of participating in these social media communities for your business are:
- Become visible to relevant potential customers users using social media
- Get better rankings in Google – further improving your visibility
- Build trust with potential users efficiently and effectively
Implementing a Social Media System for Your Local Business
An effective Social Media System will help you:
- Manage – ensuring one effort is multiplied across multiple social media sites
- Monitor – your brand is monitored across social media so you know what people are saying
- Participate – engage in conversations relevant to your business and potential client
Effective use of social media has the potential to explode your business. If structured and handled correctly, Social Media provides your business with the ability to:
- Get Found
- Build Trust and Engage
- Leverage your time and effort
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