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What can Social Media Marketing do for my Business:

As 2010 came to a close and we rang in the New Year, it’s good to look back and think about what we accomplished and where we need to improve. I’m sure that is where the concept of New Year Resolutions came from in the first place, but have you applied the idea to your marketing strategy and business yet?

2010 will certainly go down in the record books as the year of uncertainty and change for businesses across the globe. Looking back at all the fresh ideas of last January, it seems technology had a different plan altogher. Most businesses seemed to be clinging to traditional marketing techniques; Print Media, Direct Mailing, Television and Radio commercials. The tech-wise concepts included online marketing with Google Ad Words and Banners. But a year later, you have to ask yourself “Were they effective?”

The smartest businesses began to realize the answer was “NO” almost immediately. Something was happening on the internet, but that is always the case and many where unsure which direction to take. Twitter and Facebook were still considered “Trends” Very few people even understood the concept or purpose of a tweet – and facebook was nothing more than a glorified High School reunion. SEO was about keyword weight, algorithms and linking campaigns.

This is the point where you look back at last year in amazement and say “WOW!” The shift started gradually with talk and more accurate search engines. People started analyzing the tweets on twitter and the users of Facebook realized that they finally had a voice as consumers. New phrases began to pop up like; real-time, Geo-location, App’s, graphs and privacy. Still! Nobody really understood what all of this meant.

Here we are 2011

Google made a very strong statement regarding the increasing influence Social Media has on search engine rankings. Google representative Amit Signhal stated “It is definitely, more than a popularity contest”. Social Media platforms aren’t just about friends and followers; they are about influence, brand recognition, brand awareness and authority.

Interact and Engage with Consumers

2011 will be all about Social Media engagement and the increasing weight it carries with the search engines. Whether you are sharing a business web site, blog post or a random article that you felt was interesting and informative, this type of interaction with consumers is what will establish you as an authority and earn you higher rankings in the search engines.

Although, good SEO techniques are always important when building a web site, the face and even the name “Search Engine Optimization” is changing. This is a real world, we are dealing with people and everything is in “real-time”.

The competition within the marketing of search engines is so aggressive that learning how to incorporate Social Media into everything you do is going to become more important. The modern day consumer no longer trusts traditional media and advertising. When consumers want honest opinions they trust their peers.

• Do other consumers like this company?
• Do other consumers like this product or service?
• How responsive is the business to the consumer needs?
• How interactive is the business on Twitter and Facebook?

These questions are important because the more a person connects and interacts with a business; the more likely they are to share links that the business posts. According to Amit Singhal, as the high-quality pages link to another page on the web, the quality of the linked-to-page goes up. Likewise, in Social Media, as established users follow another user, the quality of the followed user goes up as well.

So how can your business Capitalize from Social Networks?

Jupiter Research recently found that 30 percent of frequent Social networkers trust their peers opinion when making a major purchase, but only 10 percent trust advertisement? Social Networks are creating a consumer-driven direct marketing; many of your most loyal and engaged customers will be the first to adopt and participate in social networks. To sum it all up, Social Networks provide your business with another channel of online marketing which will allow you to create a better customer experience, better brand recognition, and give you a competitive advantage.

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

I like the tips you wrote here though the question of capitalizing on social networks still has a vague answer for the mere fact that social engagement is that master key that's missing these days on the Social Web.  Still, we all need to find that right marketing mix that makes our brand sound more authentic than ever, especially when you have to target a smarter and tech savvy customer.  Cheers!

Shaleen Shah