There is no denying that the use of social media has exploded in the last several years, so much so that it now influences almost every facet of our lives. Social media is here to stay and with it come many different challenges and opportunities Friendster, the first social media site, was launched in 2003. Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter followed immediately thereafter. Facebook, the most popular of the social media sites, currently has over 500 million users. It is the second most popular website with Google leading the pack.
Some of the more commonly known professional sites are Twitter, LinkedIn, FastPitch, Pinterest and Plaxo. Social media is about developing your community and building relationships. Social media provides ample opportunities as well as challenges for marketing your brand.
Sales and marketing professionals are using social media to introduce and promote their products and services in a way that increases a potential target market exponentially. Social networking sites enable prospects to communicate with each other and to share their thoughts and ideas about your company’s products – while building brand loyalty.
Social media is all about engagement. Regardless what your company sells, it has a customer base that can be engaged through social media. But the manner of engagement is unique because social media has revolutionized the style of business-to-customer communications. To succeed on social media you have to listen and respond.
Businesses realize using social media as a sales and marketing tool is a very inexpensive mode of advertising because it reaches a vast audience almost instantly for a meager investment.
Social media lets you share information about your company—your potential buyers use social media to research companies with whom they want to have business transactions. It is important to leverage sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to your advantage.
Social media is the perfect venue in which to establish your company as a thought leader. Many companies effectively utilize social media blogging sites to provide company-specific content and you should do likewise.
Not only does this show your customers that you are a thought leader, it also generates conversation on the industry-specific topic you choose to blog about. By framing your message in a specific way you are sure to lure more and more users and expand your community.