| |
Be Sociable: Increasing Online Traffic Through Social Media Marketing
By Paul Coupe
So what do we mean by social media? As the Internet has evolved increasing numbers of people have taken to sharing ideas, opinions and experiences through a combination of text, blogs, audio, video and message boards etc. More recently RSS and podcasts have also captured the imagination of many in their lust to get their message out to a wide audience. Social media has lead to a revolution in the way many people now interact and learn about world events. The repercussions are that the views of media giants are no longer taken for granted. Now almost anyone can put forward their perspective on any issue they wish. Some organisations have been quick to catch on and realise how their products or services can be promoted by this phenomenon, a kind of social marketing mix unlike anything which as gone before.
One of the simplest ways to begin social media marketing is by creating your own MySpace page. MySpace offers anyone the option to build a free web page where you can share your ideas or express your views in a particular topic. By inviting friends who share similar interests it's possible to quickly build a cult like community while covertly linking them to your own website.
The social web revolves around sharing opinions…..be they good or bad. With this in mind, websites that are packed full of content can lever recommendations from readers in the form of bookmarking. Bookmarking has become popular with some web users who'll share their lists with others who have a common interest. Assuming your website has some decent content, bookmarking sites such as Digg, Technorati, Del.icio.us and Reddit provide downloadable code and links etc that'll soon get you stated. A wise alternative is to link up to AddThis.com, which will then save you alienating those with a bookmarking preference by giving access to numerous bookmarking sites in one go.
A great method of keeping users up to date with your content is to set up a RSS feed. Otherwise known as Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Syndication, RSS provides a notification to users
that new content has been added to your site thereby keeping your visitors up to speed with new developments or product launches and so on.
Enabling people to communicate directly through your website is at the core of social media and forums can be a great way of providing just that. The best forums are well managed but not overly censored. Both good and bad comments should be encouraged. While it's easy to assume that bad comments are best filtered out, leaving them in gives the forum greater credibility. A well managed forum provides an excellent, not to mention free, means of gathering customer feedback and carrying out market research etc. To give a forum momentum you may need to regularly stimulate discussion by starting new topics and by spending some regular time weeding out the spam and nonsense.
Showing your expertise through video is a clever way of grabbing an audience. Sometimes the only real way to demonstrate something is in a visual form. If you are dealing with something computerised it could be worth considering using screen capture software where you can easily take people through a lifelike demo. Video can be downloaded from your own website or posted on sites like YouTube for instance. Its always good to stamp your video with you website address so people know where it originated from. If your video impresses people they may want to seek you out. In much the same way still photographs, graphics and audio can be posted to websites; again not forgetting some kind of link back to your own website.
Lastly but by no means least you can get social media savvy by creating a blog. In essence blogs are little more than short articles often centred on current affairs, similar to writing a column for a newspaper. If you set up a blog it requires regular updating. Much like running a forum people expect blogs to evolve preferably on a daily basis. The biggest no no is to be lame on updates as any audience you've gained will soon be lost.
This article is free to republish provided the resource information remains intact
Paul Coupe is lead designer / developer with Zoom Online.
Zoom Online - Providing total online solutions.
Contact: paul@zoom-online.co.uk
Seeking Online Marketing Executives at Women's Dream Team (Arlington, TX)
in our Online Conference room and Training Calls Free Marketing Tools, Training and Marketing Center, Reference ... Keywords: Retail, Customer Service / Front End, HR / Recruiting, Marketing / Adv...
Online Marketing Manager (Dallas, TX)
Key Requirement: Online Marketing experience Technical Skills: Omniture Webtrends Product Marketing Customer Service Performance vs Forecast reporting Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration Bachelor's degree in...
Outside Sales Professional for online marketing firm at Internet Marketing IMAGES (Mckinney, TX)
with the latest training in SEO and Web savvy, Internet Marketing Images, Inc. designs and markets web ... Marketing Images, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a web marketing and web site development. Today, Internet...
Director-Online Marketing (Dallas, TX)
The organization is looking for individuals with the following skillset. Key Requirement: Online Marketing experience Technical Skills: Omniture E-mail marketing Monthly forecasts Maintain marketing performance data Plan marketing...
Independent Sales Rep For Online Internet Marketing System at Associate Group (Dallas, TX)
We have the Right Product, at the Right Time, with the Right Price... and that is a winning combination! Every person and business out there needs our services.. from the "one man show" to the national corporations... we have the right...
Interactive Online Marketing Sales Manager - USA at IT Outsourcing Company (Dallas, TX)
marketing campaigns for a leading ITO company. If you have online marketing experience for a major IT services company ... Expertise in the Online Marketing/Advertising Industry (Online Advertising, Search, Website solutions, Consulting)...
Online Marketing Manager at Elan Partners (Fort Worth, TX)
TITLE: Online Marketing Manager DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: Will perform analysis, identify/recommend improvements ... management skills -MS Office expertise PREFERRED SKILLS :-Marketing -Product Management EDUCATION: Bachelor's Degree...
Manager, Online Ad Sales at Elan Partners (Grapevine, TX)
TITLE: Manager, Online Ad Sales DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: Manager, Online Ad Sales will work with internal buying ... and online advertising sales. : Strong knowledge of online ad metrics including click through rates,...
Online Customer Experience Manager at Thinkfinance (Fort Worth, TX)
Principal Duties and Responsibilities Subject matter expert and advocate of online/digital marketing best practices ... to consumer organization Comprehensive knowledge of online marketing, customer experience best practices,...
Marketing Graphic Designer at Tenet Healthcare (Dallas, TX)
TX is currently seeking a Graphics Designer to work in the Marketing Department. Responsibilities for this person ... tool) - Backup super user; create and upload layouts * Marketing graphics - for email, landing pages,...
Online Marketing Manager at Susan G. Komen For the Cure (Dallas, TX)
Title: Online Marketing Manager Profession: Marketing -> Advertising (Online and Offline) Online Marketing ... Requires 7-10 years experience in online marketing in an interactive/advertising agency environment, fundraising...
Marketing Sales Representative at Assurant Health (Dallas, TX)
Marketing! Marketing Sales Representative Use your Marketing Talent and Sales Passion to Build Key ... by federal, state, or local law. To learn more about our current opportunities and apply online on our...
Marketing Graphic Designer at Dallas, Tx (Dallas, TX)
TX is currently seeking a Graphics Designer to work in the Marketing Department. Responsibilities for this person ... and logo libraries Maintain department spreadsheets and online data, misc. project management and admin functions...
Product Marketing Manager at Sabre (Grapevine, TX)
work environment. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Develops specific marketing plans and activities for specific highly complex ... experience in a travel agency (corporate, leisure, online) and knowledge of consumer air shopping behaviors a...
Sales and Marketing at Click E-deals (Desoto, TX)
accounts selling our service Selling an exclusive online marketing system Operate in an exclusive territory Engage ... training, sensational marketing support & a world class marketing system. We guarantee our products get results...
Online Media Sales at Citygrid Media (Dallas, TX)
is seeking Sales Representatives to sell Search Engine Marketing services to small and medium sized local ... Outlook, and Internet Explorer BA or BS in Business, Marketing or related field CityGrid Media Offers:...
Marketing and Sales Opportunity at Click E-deals (Irving, TX)
accounts selling our service Selling an exclusive online marketing system Operate in an exclusive territory Engage ... training, sensational marketing support & a world class marketing system. We guarantee our products get results...
Ecommerce Marketing Analyst at Fossil (Richardson, TX)
Creative Review, Recommendations, * Stay up to date on all online marketing trends and industry standards * Experience ... dynamic environment. * International Experience working in online marketing is a BONUS! Fossil is an Affirmative...
Resort Interactive Marketing Manager at Administaff (Dallas, TX)
improvement in online conversion rates and ROI based on online sales. Resort Interactive Marketing Manager ... marketing and search engine optimization Experience in online marketing with OTA partners (Expedia, Hotels.com,...
Web Designer/Internet Marketing at Skillsource Staffing (Dallas, TX)
Web Designer/Internet Marketing Description: Web DesignerDescription:Assisting in the design, development, and ongoing ... web sites.Designing and developing Macromedia Flash based online demonstrations, tutorials and other sales...
|
|
