What is Social Media?
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Jan 24, 2011
Social media is the latest buzzword in online marketing. Don’t be fooled by the friendly name. Social media is not only a way to pro-actively market your products and services, it is also a way to forge direct links with potential customers and tie them into a lasting online relationship with you.
It is best to think of the social media network that has built up within your given industry as an on-going online conversation of the factors, developments and issues that are occurring within your industry and are relevant to all its players, both providers and customers.
For example, a customer may put a tweet on Twitter complaining about the quality or lack of quality of a given product. Another person may see this tweet and recommend an alternative product. A supplier may see that recommendation and invite the original tweeter to become a member of its group on FaceBook or LinkedIn.
Unless you or a member of your company is constantly scanning social media platforms, this whole conversation has occurred and you have a lost a customer without ever knowing that there was a problem.
This is the key advantage of a pro-active social media presence. It facilitates real-time conversations with potential and prospective clients relating to their expectations of your product or service as well as their actual experiences of the product or service.
The anonymity of the Internet also gives customers carte blanche to be a little more honest. So in order to take advantage of the information available via social media channels, the business must be set up to flexible and responsive.
A customer that receives an immediate response through such a channel is going to be highly impressed and likely to come back for more. No other communication medium can give business owners this level of interaction with its customers, which is what makes social media so potentially effective and ultimately powerful.
Do you know what social media sites are relevant to your business? If not, contact us today and we will provide you with a full social media review to help propel your business onto the most effective social media platforms relative to your industry.