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Is Social Media Really Necessary?

Most analysts agree that 2010 was the year that social media finally became a force in the business world. Now in 2011, it is fast becoming the “must do” on the list of marketing strategies in order for a company to avoid getting left behind in the online world. And, when you consider that most people no longer use the yellow pages to find a business, getting left behind in the online world can just mean your business is left behind period.

Social Media Marketing Basics

Put in simple terms, social media marketing is the act of creating a page for your brand on social media networking sites to promote your website, services, and products. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn allow individuals to create personal or business pages to connect with friends or customers online. Through building a presence on social media sites, your business is positioned in the light of “friend” rather than just another “ad” that is quickly ignored.

Social media marketing is, above all, about the soft sell. This is extremely important to understand when building a social media campaign. Blatant advertising mixed with a constant stream of links straight back to your site can be viewed as spam in a social media environment and cause you to lose followers. Successful social media marketing is more the art of creating interest and conversation which then leads potential clients into completing a desired action.

A successful social media campaign must strike the right balance between conversation and advertising.

Create Interest & Trust In Your Brand

Reports show that people are much more likely to trust a friend’s recommendation when choosing products or services. This holds true online as well. An effective social media campaign results in followers linking back to your website and sharing your site with their “friends” through their social media accounts. The links gained through social media also provide an added bonus in how search engines value and rank your website. The links gained through social media are akin to votes in favor of your website and send a strong signal to search engines that your website is trusted.

One of the best ways to drum up sales is to get people to recommend your services or products to their their social network. Effective social media campaigns create the online version of “word-of-mouth” advertising while providing a convenient central hub to spark interest in products, services, and other topics related to your business.

Social Media & Viral Marketing

The hot words in advertising today are “gone viral.” If an advertisement or promotion has “gone viral,” it means that people are talking about it all around the web, all around the world. Social media facilitates this “viral” process because people can share links to your company’s videos, articles, pictures, or promotions with their social network. If you create something that strikes a chord in people, they will likely forward it on to their friends, who forward it on to their friends, and so on.

While the concept of social media marketing is very easy to grasp, actually launching and managing a successful social media campaign can prove to be a difficult and time consuming task. Effective social media marketing requires strategic planning, the right tools, the right voice and an understanding of the nature of the market.

Clickbrand is full service internet marketing agency providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, and social media campaigns tailored to the individual needs of each business. Contact Clickbrand today for a FREE quote tailored to fit your social media marketing needs.