Hiring the Internet

This is Part 2 of our Primer on Social Media Marketing – How to Get Started.

With the first step in our primer, we have established what Social Media is, and all the forms it may take on the Internet. Now, we’ll take you through some pointers on how social media marketing is implemented. As applications multiply by the day, we can’t list all methods, but here are some essentials.

First, map out your Social Media Marketing plan with some concrete, trackable goals. Do you want to see an increase in traffic to your site? Do you want a higher number of pageviews or sales within a month? List your objectives and their deadlines before signing up for sites and applications.

Second, establish your brand and identity at places like MySpace and Facebook. Yes, you have your official website, but you would also have official spaces under your control at popular networking sites that have unbelievable web traffic. You also have the option of building a blog, which you can customize and update frequently. For distinction and for consistency, it would be in your best interest to attempt a custom look that fits in with your company’s branding.

Third, whatever forms you may choose for Social Media Marketing, allow end-users to give feedback or otherwise contact you. Comments, wall posts, private messages, and more are excellent features for making contact. And do not be afraid to respond!

Fourth, supply worthwhile content for those who view, read, or subscribe to your site, bookmarks, or feeds. Create blog posts or videos, notify interested parties of any new product launches or new and improved formulas. Conduct an online sweepstakes or giveaway, or simply provide industry news of note.

Fifth, submit your content to third-party websites like Digg and Technorati. Just like we recommended with directories, getting your stuff indexed is one of the best ways to be found.

Last, monitor your efforts. See the sources of your web traffic. Look at your sales and compare them to before you launched your efforts. One caveat, though: a big incentive in using SMM is raising brand awareness, which is hard to track in concrete terms. It also takes a long time to build up before it may take effect. For these reasons, SMM may be a low-priority endeavor for Internet Marketing plans, especially when the business has more pressing online presence issues to attend to, such as an inadequate website or lack of visibility in search engine results pages.

Nevertheless, if you’re curious about the potential of social media, here are a few popular sites to become familiar with:

• YouTube
• MySpace
• Facebook
• Flickr
• Friendster
• del.icio.us
• Technorati
• Yahoo! Answers
• Digg

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