Post date: Sep 27, 2010 2:51:42 PM
It isn't a huge mystery that social media is here and it has
changed the way we do business in a big way. You can be
sure that just about every big name in business has a social
media marketing plan. If you want to have a thriving
business online you should be no different.
Having a presence online can take your business to never
before seen heights if you learn how to leverage social
media marketing the right way.  Your customer base will
grow rapidly and you will appear to be at the cutting edge of
technology simultaneously.
How Do You Use Social Media Marketing For Your Business?There are truthfully many ways to market using social mediasites, but I will give you some principals and resources toget started in the right direction.  The reason whysocial media sites are so popular to market on is becausethat is where everyone is hanging out.  People from allover the world are hanging out on sites like Twitter,Facebook and Youtube. This isn't even mentioning thethousands of other social media sites on the web.   It is pretty amazing how big social media sites havebecome in just the last few years. So once you realize justhow big social media is and how many different strategiesand techniques there are, you begin to see that it would bewise to have a plan to follow.Paid or Free?If you want to take advantage of the traffic that sites like
Facebook get, then you can actually put up pay per click ads
within Facebook.  This strategy is very targeted and
works very well at driving traffic to your lead capture page
or your website.  The only downside to this is that it
costs money every time someone clicks on your advertisment.
If you want to leverage social media marketing without
spending a dime, then it is going to take a little more time
and effort on your part.  The upside is that it doesn't
cost you anything, the downside is that it takes awhile to
build an audience. Social Proof In order to be an effective
marketer on social media sites it is important to have
social proof.  Social proof is nothing more than having
a following on these sites and staying some what
active.   If you are marketing your business on
sites like Twitter or Facebook and you have 5 followers it
would be hard to take you seriously. Having an audience or
people who like what you are putting out on these social
media sites then it gives you social credibility.  It
will show that you know what you are doing and it will give
you credibility.  It also makes people believe that you
have some influence in this online world.
Give Value
It doesn't really matter what business you are in, you can
figure out how to provide your friends and followers with
some value.  Give them some interesting facts about
your industry or some information that could benefit
people.  When people receive value from you it will
draw them in and make them want to learn more about your
business and what you are marketing. If you are having
trouble thinking of value to offer then just remember what
your prospects interests are and provide them with solutions
or inspiring content.  It is important to give people
valuable content or solutions so that they will look to you
for answers and value, rather than just advertising. In
today's world of marketing it is imperative that you connect
with you customers on a more personal level.
Stay Educated
In order to really leverage social media marketing you have
to stay on the cutting edge.  Having a presence in the
social media world will make or break you online
business.  You have the option of being at the
forefront of technology in your business or you can always
be a follower of the masses. Social media has clearly
transformed the business world as we know it.  With
that being said I encourage you to become educated in these
new marketing mediums.  The results you will see in
your business will both shock and amaze you.
About the Author:
Ryan is a network marketer who has learned to leverage social
media marketing as well as many other forms of online
marketing to benefit his business. To learn more from Ryan