john wircken asked:


Social Media Marketing is marketing through social media networks and online communities. Social Media networks generally attract a lot of users. They are online platforms where users share thoughts, discuss ideas and interact with each other on a variety of subjects. Social Media is a meeting of minds where everything is user-generated. The user gains prominence in a social media network. His ideas, thoughts and opinions gain utmost value and importance. Social Media is the easiest route to reach the customers.

Social Media Marketing is a type of internet marketing which leads to achieve branding and marketing goals through participation in various social media networks such as Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Hi5 etc. Social Media includes websites where news, photos and videos are user-generated. Many innovative and interesting social media networks mushroom in the online world everyday. Sites like StumbleUpon, Digg, Furl, Reddit, Del.ici.ous and others are social bookmarking sites where users bookmark their favorite web pages and share with others information about web pages which they find interesting or useful. All these websites include certain mechanisms to allow users to vote for the content submitted by the other users. Through this, a particular content’s popularity is gauged.

On the other hand, Social Media Marketing is also a vibrant marketing strategy for marketing your site. You can manage the creation and distribution of content through the social media easily and effectively. Social Media is the latest kind of viral marketing. Messages sent through social media reach customers quickly. There is also no fear of the message being twisted or misinterpreted in the process. Moreover, in Social Media Marketing, you can expect a great inflow of comments/critiques and reactions for your marketing messages. In a way, all these will help you know the expectations of your customers. It is indeed a step in gauging customer psychometrics.

Social Media Marketing is the most popular upcoming marketing concept of the dotcom world. There are various marketing techniques which are very closely related to social media marketing, such as Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, and Social Media Optimization. Social media sites provide a huge variety of subjects, topics, and discussions to choose from. A social media web site can be defined as a common ground, where individuals gather together to share their views and opinions. Social media has also adapted various mediums such as audio, video, and textual mediums. There are few guidelines in order to successfully implement social media marketing. Improve the ability of your website, so that it can be linked to other sites easily. All the incoming links are unique, so treat them properly by providing dedicated space for them.

In order to be successful at social media, the following steps can also be very useful. First, create forums on your own web site. Provide interesting topics so that people would like to participate and interact with each other through your site. Keep updating information and news to attract your visitors. Compose podcasts and use the clips to promote your products.

Social Media Marketing gives exposure for your site in a larger site or amidst a larger group of people. Use the social media in the best way possible and gain results.



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Cliff Posey Jr asked:


The social media optimization, popularly referred as SMO, is a technique of bringing forth publicity and success with the help of social media indulgence, online community activation and social websites. The SMO techniques comprise of implementing social news, articles, blogs, RSS feeds and even third group social functionalities such as videos and audios. The Social Media Optimization is primarily connected to the search engine online marketing strategies, but varies in many ways.

The main benefit of social media optimization is the implementation of improved web page rankings to attain more traffic flow. The social media optimization plays a major technical base to viral advertising and marketing promotion. The main technique of publicity in viral marketing is the usage of social bookmarking networks and video-audio sharing networks. Other techniques include the act of blogging that brings up a huge traffic and leads to publicity.

The social media optimization is an integral part of ORM (Online Reputation Management) or the SERM (Search Engine Reputation Management) for the entire organization of an online business. Researches show that more than eighty percentages of Internet surfers possess an online web profile in at least a single social network-managing site. The main reason for this is to get connected with their friends and families. However, there are other communities, who are just interested in attracting people to promote their business with these networks. The connection to these social bookmarking sites will attain popularity without any extensive effort from your end.

Attaining your website popularity is not as easy as it seems to be. First, you need to understand the basic techniques behind the creation of a successful website. The internet is an area that includes countless number of websites and therefore you need to hold a good reason to explain the visitors on the purpose of visiting your website. Almost all websites are similar in appearance and unless the public finds unique information on a particular website, they will not actively get involved with the site.

A collection of informative blogs and articles on your website helps to increase the popularity of your website on the Internet. With the help of social bookmarking, you can make your blogs travel at a faster rate through the Internet. You will be able to place a connecting link at the bottom portion of your blog as soon as you change to be a constant blogger. This in turn helps you in bringing huge traffic to your website. You can even employ other websites to utilize your content, if they are ready to offer a connective link to your website. This also helps you attain fame in the industry.

Overview:

Examine and understand the prevailing competition on online marketing before to indulge in social media optimization. With thorough knowledge and implementation of social media optimization techniques, you can expect miraculous success in your marketing space. You will find the benefits of social media optimization with the proper application of your knowledge and internet marketing techniques. Undoubtedly, the social media optimization with social bookmarking will take you to the peak of success.



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Barry Byers asked:


At a social media marketing training session I recently attended, I overheard another attendee talking about the challenges she faced in attempting to tackle social media marketing. The owner of a small, home-based business based in the Toronto area, she was trying to find inexpensive ways to market her business. She had heard about this new way of promoting her company and decided to jump in with both feet. After a few months, she felt completely overwhelmed and decided that she needed training in social media marketing.

She is likely not alone. The temptation to take advantage of the virtually free marketing opportunities in social media is pretty strong, but without an effective plan, you will find yourself in the same position as that Toronto business owner.

Social Media Marketing – Why So Much Choice Can Be a Bad Thing

There are many kinds of sites that fall under the heading of “social media.” These include social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, social news sites like Digg and Reddit, and social bookmarking sites like Delicious. Social media also includes the “microblogging” site, Twitter.

The key to using social media for marketing is to offer people something of value so they will want to connect and interact with your business. For most businesses, this thing of value is a blog, series of articles, or other content of interest to their core audience.

Here’s where it gets tricky, and where our Toronto business owner got tripped up – deciding which social media sites to use and what kind of content to create.

When I heard that business owner talk about her challenges, I entered the conversation to see what she had bee trying. Here’s a summary of what she said:

• She started a blog but after a month or so had run out of things to talk about.

• Everytime she posted to her blog, she would add a link to the post on Digg and Delicious.

• She had also investigated Reddit and Stumble Upon and set up accounts on both sites but left them pretty much inactive.

• She set up a profile on Linked In, at the suggestion of a client, but promptly forgot about it and rarely used it.

• She added a personal profile to Facebook but, beyond that, had no idea how to use this profile to promote her business. She eventually found a way to create a business page, which seemed to suit her needs.

• She just recently joined Twitter and was having trouble keeping up with it and finding things to say.

After listening to her, I concluded that the main problem she was having was content-based and I reassured her that the social media marketing training course would help her.

What she needed was a comprehensive plan to get her started. She needed to focus her efforts on a few sites, and ensure she had content to share. She needed a schedule for her writing and she also needed to learn how to optimize her content to draw the traffic she wanted.

Fortunately, the social media training course we were both attending covered all of those points and more.

I spoke to her at the end of the course and she said she felt much better, and much more ready to tackle social media marketing. The training had helped her immensely.

If you own your own business and you are interested in marketing through social media, I recommend that you start with social media marketing training, so you can avoid wasting months of time and energy like our Toronto business owner did.



Create a video blog

P. Headrick asked:


As the communication landscape changes and new, cutting edge ways of consuming information emerge, PR agencies and corporate public relations teams around the world must re-think the way they format news and deliver it to their target audience. The social media press release has radically altered the way PR professionals approach broadcasts and announcements.

* What is a Social Media Press Release?

Inspired by Tom Foremski of the Silicon Valley Watcher, a social media press release is a next-generation press release optimized specifically for online distribution and publication, such as placement in blogs, social bookmarking sites, RSS, and other similar mediums.

The social media press release is designed to facilitate rapid and widespread sharing of news, information, images, audio, video, and other content. Unlike traditional press releases that are notoriously packed with hype and marketing-speak, the social media press release is far more functional, focusing on just the most relevant and pertinent facts, and relaying them in a simple, concise, hyperlinked format that will appeal to bloggers and other online journalists.

The typical social media press release includes a summary of key highlights, a few expert quotes, links to background information embedded throughout the text, and tags that identify related coverage and other similar topics of interest – all written in a style that reflects the way people speak about the subject at hand. As a result, it is much easier for bloggers to post the information, and for online journalists to conduct their research, and find the quotes, references, statistics, and other data they need to write thorough and accurate stories.

Many social media press releases also include images, video, and other visually-oriented content, tying together various multimedia elements in a way that makes them easily adaptable and re-usable.

* Fast and Wide Distribution

Social media press releases provide faster distribution and wider broadcast coverage than old-school public relations channels can. A recent Pew Research report shows that the public is more Web savvy than ever before, and that Internet use has become a part of the typical consumer’s daily routine.

In fact, more than 50 percent of consumers polled indicated that they create and share content online. With the social media press release, companies are empowered to take their message directly to these consumers via the most popular and preferred formats, making it readily available and instantly accessible not just to reporters, but to anyone who is interested.

Social media press releases can also act as direct marketing and search engine optimization vehicles. News headlines can be delivered via RSS ads, so they are dynamically pushed directly to those who subscribe to similar topics. And, the inclusion of popular key words and phrases (particularly those that potential customers are likely to utilize when searching for the company’s products or services), as well as commonly-used jargon and acronyms, title tags, ticker symbols, and links to other Web content such as blogs and related articles, can give a boost to a company’s ranking in Google, Yahoo, and other major search engines.

* Social Media is Here To Stay

Most of the major wire services have recognized the importance of social media in today’s PR strategies, and have begun to expand their offerings accordingly. PRWeb and Pheedo provide RSS ads, track-back functionality, and the ability to tag and send out press releases via del.icio.us.

Additionally, PR Newswire and Business Wire have launched new social media features such as RSS Feeds. These services also now allow bloggers to access capabilities and functions within their sites that were previously only available to credentialed journalists.

* Social Media Press Release Template

Several PR firms adjust their tactics to take full advantage of the Internet for PR. You’ll notice more social media press releases from a number of Internet savvy PR firms and companies. An online search for “social media press release template” will lead you to examples, templates and ongoing blog conversations on the pros and cons of this next generation of press releases.

You’ll find that by following a social media press release template you can easily create compelling, highly-effective press releases structure specifically for distribution to media outlets and for obtaining comprehensive coverage.



Create a video blog…instantly.

Christopher Dusseldorp asked:


websites help your company network, advertise, learn, grow, recruit and more. We get loads of hits everyday from our social media optimisation websites. These hits convert into work, valuable feedback, networking, sources of fresh marketing communications information and much much more.

(Please Note: If we’ve missed your favorite social media site or you know of others worth mentioning, we appreciate you letting us know, so we can add it to this list.)

If your business limits its online presence to blogging, posting articles on article sites, advertising banners and search engine marketing it’s missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging onto social media sites like LinkedIn, Digg, Facebook, Twitter and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners, employees, likeminded peers and friends.

linking people to your business

website:www,christophercopywriter.com

blog:christopher copywriter’s blog

Social Media/Social Bookmarking Sites.

Share your favorite Websites and newsworthy articles with your business partners. They can comment and upload their own favorite articles and Websites. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company’s Web site. It also helps with your Websites rankings.

1. StumbleUpon: You’ll open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and “channel surfing” the Web. You’ll connect with friends and share your new Website discoveries,” as well as “meet people who have similar interests.” It’s loads of fun.

2. Articlesbase: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your website or blog. Submit items often so that you’ll gain a more loyal following and increase your online presence.

3. Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.

4. Digg: Digg has a massive following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and many more.

5. Technorati: If you want to increase your blog’s readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.

6. Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone.

7. Squidoo: According to Squidoo, “everyone’s an expert on something. Share your knowledge!” Share your industry’s secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members.

8. Furl: Make Furl “your personal Web file” by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.

9. Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.

10. WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company’s services with the public for free.

11. YouTube: From subjects like, “How to dribble a basketball,” to naughty party boy “Corey Delainey,” everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company’s latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day and how you like to do it.

12. Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.

Professional Social Networking Sites. Join these online networking communities as a company or individual and take full advantage of recruiting and client opportunities, cross-promotional events, the chance to help out and more.

13. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.

14. Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.

15. MEETin.org: Once you’ve acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.

16. YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.

17. Xing: An account with networking site Xing can “open doors to thousands of companies.” Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to “find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels.”

18. Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on “connecting business people” through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.

19. Care2: Care2 isn’t just a networking community for professionals: It’s touted as “the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference.” If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.

20. Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.

21. Ryze: Ryze lets members organize contacts and friends; upcoming events; and even job, real-estate and roommate classifieds.

22. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.

23. Ziggs: Ziggs is “organizing and connecting people in a professional way.” Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company’s presence online and further your own personal career.

24. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.

25. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You’ll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.

26. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.

27. Naymz: A search engine optimised professional networking site which ranks out of ten, ones professional reputation amongst reviews from ones peers and those who know you.



Niche Social Media Sites. Consider linking up with one of these Social Media Websites to narrow down your business’s target audience. You’ll find other professionals, enthusiasts and consumers who are most likely already interested in what your company has to offer.

28. SEO TAGG:SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.

29. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.

30. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being “your link to the Web content that really matters.” Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You’ll also meet others with similar interests.

31. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.

32. Sphinn:Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.

33. BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.

34. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.

35. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.



General Social Media Sites. The following social media Websites provide excellent opportunities for businesses to advertise; promote specials, events or services; and tend to feature published and knowledgeable employees.

36. Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia, you can connect with other users on Wikipedia’s Community Portal and at the village pump, where you’ll find conscientious professionals enthusiastic about news, business, research and more.

37. Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community.

38. 43 Things: This site bills itself as “the world’s most popular online goal setting community.” By publicizing your company’s goals and ambitions, you’ll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success.

39. Wetpaint: If you’re tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company’s presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business.

40. Frappr: Embed a Frappr map and guestbook into your company’s Web page so that you can pinpoint exactly how users find your site, discover in real-time what they have to say about your company profile and services, and create an “interactive, fun and engaging” spot for visitors.

41. Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users’ questions with this social-media Q&A service. Search for questions in your particular areas of expertise by clicking categories like Business & Finance, Health, News & Events and more. If you continue to dole out useful advice and link your answer to your company’s Web page, you’ll quickly gain a new following of curious customers.

Job Sites.

If you want to secure high-quality talent during your company’s next hiring spree, you’ll need to maintain a strong presence on popular job sites like the ones we’ve listed below.

42. Mycareer: A popular source of jobs for the job hunter in Australia. Owned by Fairfax media who bring us the Sydney Morning Herald everyday. Post your CV for recruiters to find. Get detailed personality type information.

43. SEEK: Australia’s #1 recruitment, career and employment site. It has special sections for 100k plus executives and offers helpful tools and job hunting sector statistics.

44. CollegeRecruiter.com: If your firm wants to hire promising entry-level employees, check CollegeRecuriter.com for candidates with college degrees.

45. Monster: Post often to separate your business from all the other big companies that use this site to advertise job openings.

46. Sologig: Top freelancers and contractors post résumés and look for work on this popular site.

47. AllFreelance.com: This site “offers self-employed small business owners links to freelance & work at home job boards, self-promotion tips” and more.

48. Freelance Switch Job Listings: Freelance Switch is the freelancer’s online mecca and boasts articles, resource toolboxes, valuable tips and a job board.

49. GoFreelance: Employers looking to boost their vendor base should check GoFreelance for professionals in the writing, design, editing and Web industries.

50. CareerBuilder.com: Reach millions of candidates by posting jobs on this must-visit site.

51. Career Journal: The Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal attracts well-educated professionals who are at the top of their game. Post a job or search résumés here.

linking people to your business

blog:christopher copywriter’s blog



Create a video blog

Kimberly Bock asked:


What is Social Media, according to Google:

These are the results for “define social media”..(these definitions may vary with time)



A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction.

The term social media describes media that is posed by the user and can take many different forms. Some types of social media are forums, message boards, blogs, wikis and podcasts. Social media applications include Google, Facebook and YouTube.

Software tools that allow groups to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations and exchange of content (examples are YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace etc)



You’ll notice, as you read through each definition, that you’re receiving explanations by examples.

Social Media not new, it’s a buzz term by marketers. It has existed for numerous years.

In fact, the first email ever sent, the first website ever created, the microblogging tools we use, commenting, and every other form of interaction with people on a global scale or in your backyard by way of the internet, has been by the use of what is referred to as Social Media today.

What is Social Media, according to Wikipedia:



Social media is the use of electronic and Internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information and experiences with other human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.

This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.

What is Social Media, according to other ndividuals:

You say, “Certainly the well known authors have provided clear definitions.”

Let’s take a look:

Robert Scoble says, “Compare it to what’s come before.”

Chris Heuer says, “Social Media is redefining how we relate to each other as humans and how we as humans relate to the organizations that serve us. While it is commonly represented by blogs, podcasts, vlogs, wikis, user generated content and social networks, it is not about those specific things as much as it is about what happens around and because of those things.”

Mark Dykeman says, “Social media are the means for any person to:  publish digital creative content; provide and obtain real-time feedback via on-line discussions, commentary, and evaluations; and incorporate changes or corrections to the original content.”

What is Social Media Really?



Social Media is a verb. An action term. Not a noun.

“Media” is and always has been the singular form of “Medium” which means storage and transmission tools used to store and deliver information or data.

Add the word “Social” and it means you & I interacting, communicating, exchanging information..SOCIALIZING.

That being said, the simple and understandable definition of Social Media is..(drumroll please)

“The use of internet platforms and tools which enable interaction and communication between users.”



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