Video sharing and social networking although still widely used for infotainment purposes are now a mainstream platform for business. Statistics show that media like YouTube and Facebook have made rapid strides in adoption and usage. More importantly, the use of these modern day media for commercial purposes has made businesses sit up and take notice of their innovative uses.
 Marketing is no longer a 'one way' event! One Hundred year ago all commerce was face to face or one on one. Fifty years ago TV, Radio, Yellow Pages, and Print Ads came along and corporations blasted their message to millions. This mass marketing worked well to drive sales. Ninety-nine percent of the communication was one way....OUT! There was a huge wall that corporations hide behind as their marketing teams blasted messages. If your business does not break down the wall, YOU will be left behind!
So, in its simplest form, Social Media Marketing in breaking down the walls and joining the conversation.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing is the process of promoting your website or business through social media channels. It is a powerful strategy to get links, exposure, and website traffic.
The marketing opportunities that the Internet provides never cease to amaze. From humble beginnings where websites became another showcase of brand identity and now videos and online social profiles take on brand significance.
Social utility site, Facebook originally started in 2004 as a networking site for youth. Today it has over 90 million active users and is the 4th most trafficked site in the world (source: comScore). With over 15 billion page views monthly, the site is an emerging marketing armoury and a powerful one at that. Little over a year ago, the site launched the Facebook Platform allowing third party applications to run within its interface. This hugely increased the potential to use Facebook for effective viral marketing. Facebook's news feed is quickly gaining popularity as a way to keep audiences informed about a company's activities, new product launches, seasonal promotions, and so on. How do companies use Facebook to market online?
From hosting events to sharing videos, posting pictures and news articles, to writing notes, Facebook users are virtually living by its description - "Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you". The key word here is 'connects' - making the connection, spreading your message, maintaining engagement levels and creating positive reactions - these are the valuable uses of powerful media like Facebook. The 2008 US Presidential Election has seen a striking example of people forming groups to share their voices online, simply writing notes on Facebook as part of the "One Million Strong for Barack" group.
Reasons for Social Media Marketing
- Building Relationships
- Listening to Customers
- Joining the Conversation
- Engaging your Target Market
Just like any other marketing technique, the purpose of video marketing is to attract maximum exposure and impressions. An example of a hugely successful commercial viral campaign on YouTube is "Will It Blend?" Blendtec. The campaign was a video series on various household objects that are run through a Blendtec blender-including marbles, rake handles, and even iPods. These were actual demonstrations of "extreme blending" being done by the company. Blendtec saw a dramatic increase in sales of at-home and commercial blenders.
Top Tips on YouTube Marketing:
- Focus on something fun, something that people will want to share with friends
- Clearly demonstrate the product you are marketing
- Make sure the video is real; no tricks, no "smoke and mirrors."
- Encourage viewer participation and support
- Take advantage of YouTube tags; use keywords to target what people are searching; and match your title and description to the tags
If your business is not leveraging the power of social media, you are losing out on this inexpensive, mostly free Internet marketing. Get your Face in the Book and Your Video on the Tube! And don't just stop at that... make it part of your ongoing Internet business strategy to utilize social media for brand awareness and customer outreach.
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