Social Media Marketing Basics

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social Media Marketing, or SMM, is the practice of using social networking websites to promote products, services, and brand awareness.

Who uses Social Media Marketing?

Businesses that want to expand their online customer base use Social Media Marketing.

Why use Social Media Marketing?

Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which uses Search Engine Optimization (SEO), attracts the attention of Internet search engines. People who don't know about your business can find it. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (SMM) attracts the attention of human beings. People who know about your business will tell other people about it. And those people will tell other people. SMM is the Internet's version of word-of-mouth marketing and the Internet is huge. Use SMM well and potential customers will reach out to you before they use a search engine.

How to use Social Media Marketing

SMM is an investment. It is based on building relationships with potential customers. Plan and budget your company's social networking activities. Identify measurable goals. Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Do you want to address customer complaints quickly and efficiently? Choose one goal and focus your efforts. Add new goals later.

Where to use Social Media Marketing

SMM can be time-consuming. Identify your target market. Be specific. Do research. Where do large groups of these people meet on the Internet? Are they in a hurry? Do they like photos? Are they professionals? Use the social networking websites where your potential customers gather.
When to use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Marketing

Use SMM consistently. Schedule updates as much as possible. People want to know when they can hear from you. Company blog posts, on sites such as WordPress, can be made once a day, once a week, or once a month. Maintenance is key. If you stop updating, people with assume you don't care.
Only reach out when you have something valuable to offer. Do not add clutter to customer timelines and feeds. You will lose followers. "Something valuable" does not mean a well-priced product. Social networking is about engagement. Ask questions. Give advice. Be clever. Then offer your well-priced product.

Social Media Marketing Tips

Be human. Social networking is people talking to people. Facebook, Twitter and Youtube Marketing relies on social networking. Your business needs to care about the people it networks with. It also needs to show that it cares.

Experiment. Track your results (if possible). Social Media Marketing is not an exact science. Learn how much overt advertising your target audience can accept as part of your SMM campaign. What works for your competitor may not work for you.
Evaluate. Reevaluate. Then adapt. The Internet is always changing. If an SMM strategy is no longer working for you, try something new.

This article is written by
Ercan Yesil
Executive Director of 3IN IT Services
3IN IT Services

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