The traditional marketing model was to get as many eyeballs on your own product or service’s message as you possibly can and hope a percentage of customers purchase. Yellow pages, radio advertising, direct mail, television commercials, magazine ads, etc.. are examples of these traditional advertising methods. These conventional types of marketing are no more effective as many consumers have grown to be blind to the ‘one way’ messaging. The message has been overdone and people no longer trust advertisers. A recent survey discovered that only 14% of individuals trust ads while 76% of individuals trust consumer recommendations. Accordingly, more marketers began seeking alternative ways to connect with potential consumers.
Making money online was originally made popular through the use of Websites and optimizing the websites through SEO (SEO) techniques. While still a worthwhile strategy, SEO has been updated by Blogging platforms 2.0 strategies, such as for example social media marketing. Social media marketing is when companies utilize Blogging platforms 2.0 platforms, such as blogs, social networking sites (like Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Twitter, & YouTube) along with other emerging online marketing tools. The advantage of web 2 2.0 platforms versus traditional means of advertising, and even traditional online marketing, is that it involves ‘two-way communication’, where users are empowered to create content and companies are incentivized to communicate with their customers.
The days of broadcasting your product or services message out to the masses and longing for a response are gone. People don’t want to obtain nameless, faceless companies. Not only are consumers watching the ‘man behind the curtain’, but they also wish to know what others say about your service or product. A recent study concluded that 80% of US Internet using moms were influenced by word-of-mouth from family and friends when making a purchase decision. No other media platform allows for small businesses to reap the benefits of consumer word of mouth advertising like social media.
Benefits Of Social Media Marketing
Increased New Customer Acquisitions – The main advantage of social media marketing is that you will have the opportunity for connecting with networks of potential customers that you would otherwise be unable to come across utilizing other traditional marketing techniques and also SEO.
Word of Mouth Marketing- Referral marketing has always been probably the most influential solution to generate sales. With social media marketing, it is possible to create raving fans who’ll voluntarily promote your product and services with their networks of friends. Of course, if your product or service is poor, you may suffer the reverse benefits of this.
Brand Awareness – Branding your business using social media marketing is a lot simpler, faster, and less costly to achieve compared to the traditional advertising medium or even website marketing.
Motivational Content – Web 2 2.0 platforms are the perfect places to communicate with your customers about new products, special promotions, or just to educate them on your own business. Through consistent, FREE communication, it is possible to keep your company in front of your customer’s eyeballs that will in turn lead to repeat business and referrals. Remember, the main element to this kind of communication is to be content rich; don’t use these avenues to pitch your service or product.
Rapid Results – The effective and successful implementation of a social media marketing plan will create almost instant results for your business. This increase can be quantified through increased site traffic, increased lead acquisition, and ultimately more sales. Unlike radio or TV ads, where your visitors disappear once the ads set off air, these web 2 2.0 platform benefits will continue long-term given that the communication and updating of one’s social media marketing presence is maintained.