Social Media Marketing, Truth and Lies

Social Media Marketing seems to be the latest buzz word for anybody looking to increase their online existence and sales, however is Social Media Marketing (SMM) all it is cracked up to be?

S.M.M companies are now springing up all over the place these days and they are telling anyone that will listen about how incredibly important social media like Facebook twitter and YouTube are to your business but, for the typical little to medium sized business, does marketing to social networks actually live up to all the buzz? Social media marketing business are all too pleased to point out the positives of social media like how numerous individuals utilize Facebook or how many tweets were sent out last year and how numerous people see YouTube videos etc. however are you getting the complete photo? Being the research study nut that I am, I decided to take a great look into SMM in regard to selling to see if it in fact worked, who did it work for and if it did why did Social Media Marketing work for them?

As a web developer I was continuously (and now significantly) confronted with several social networking obstacles when potential customers would say that having a site sounds good however they had a Facebook service page and had actually been told by various sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social networks were the thing to do, however after discussing their requirements it ended up being quite clear that those prospective clients didn't in fact know why they required social networks or SMM to generate online sales, They just desired it. Well it's simple truly due to the fact that social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not business media and company networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a current research study done by the IBM Institute for Organisation Value around 55% of all social media users specified that they do not engage with brand names over social media at all and only around 23% really actively use social media to communicate with brand names.

So how do you use social media marketing? And is it even worth doing?

Well to start with I would state that having a well enhanced website is still going to bring you much more business that social media most of the times especially if you are a little to medium sized local service due to the fact that much more individuals are going to type in "hair stylist Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Website and if you do not have a website you're losing out on all that potential organisation. However despite all the (not so great) statistics I still think it is still a great idea for company to utilize social media simply not in the same way that a lot of SMM specialists are today, Why? Because it's plainly not operating in the way they claim it does. Generally SMM Companies and Company as a whole took a look at social networks like Facebook as a fresh market ripe for the picking when Facebook started getting users measured by the millions PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel invested US$ 500,000 for 7% of the company (in June 2004) and because them a couple of equity capital firms have actually made financial investments into Facebook and in October 2007, Microsoft revealed that it had actually bought a 1.6% share of Facebook for $240 million. Considering that Facebook's humble beginnings up till now (2012) both SMM Business and Business have stopped working to genuinely capitalise on the huge number of Facebook users online. The reality is numbers does not equal purchasers. Is it in a Social Media Marketing business's best interest to talk socials media up? Absolutely. Is it in a Social Media Network like Facebook's best interests for individuals to think that companies can offer en masse by marketing and advertising with them? Of course it is. In early 2012, Facebook revealed that its revenues had leapt 65% to $1 billion in the previous year as its revenue which is mainly from advertising had jumped practically 90% to $3.71 billion so plainly the principle of SMM is exercising for them however it is exercising for you? Well ... statistically no, but that does not necessarily imply that it never will.

I believe the major difference between social networks and search engines is intent. People who utilize Google are intentionally looking for something so if they do a look for hairdressers that's exactly what they are searching for at that specific time. With something like Facebook the primary intent is normally to get in touch with family and friends. In October 2008, Mark Zuckerberg himself said "I don't think socials media can be generated income from in the same way that search (Online search engine) did ... In 3 years from now we need to determine what the optimal design is. However that is not our main focus today". One of the biggest problems business confront with social networks and SMM is perception. According to the IBM Institute for Organisation Worth study there were "considerable gaps in between exactly what companies believe consumers appreciate and what customers say they desire from their social media interactions with companies." In today's society individuals are not just going to hand you over there recommendations, Facebook likes, remarks or information without getting something back for it, so the old expression "exactly what's in it for me?" enters play. The main factor most individuals give for connecting with SEO Agency brand names or company on social media is to receive discounts, yet the brand names and organisation themselves believe the main factor people communicate with them on social media is to learn about new products. For brand names and business getting discounts only ranks 12th on their list of reasons why people interact with them. The majority of services believe social media will increase advocacy, but just 38 % of customers agree.

There were some good initiatives revealed in the IBM study of business that had actually gotten some sort of a handle on how to use social media to their benefit, keeping in mind that when asked what they do when they interact with organisations or brand names via social media, customers list "getting discount rates or discount coupons" and "acquiring products and services" as the top 2 activities, respectively an USA ice cream company called Cold Stone Creamery used discounts on their products on their Facebook page. With both Cold Stone Creamery and Twelpforce the advantage is plainly in the favour of the potential customer & the terrific trick to social media marketing is to sell without attempting to sell (or looking like your selling) unfortunately most social media marketing is focused the incorrect way.

Building a concrete buyer to customer relationship through social media is not easy and most likely the most benefit to company' utilizing social media to improve their websites Google rankings. Company' require to understand that you can't simply setup a Facebook company page and hope for the finest. SMM requires effort and prospective clients have to see worth in exactly what you need to provide through your social media efforts provide something worth their social interaction and time then you might get better outcomes.

Now just as a footnote Facebook shares have actually dropped to under $20 per share, that's half their initial cost ... and the lawsuits are flying


As a web developer I was constantly (and now increasingly) confronted with several social networking obstacles when potential clients would state that having a site sounds great but they had a Facebook company page and had been told by various sources (the ever present yet confidential "they") that social networks were the thing to do, but after discussing their requirements it ended up being rather clear that those prospective clients didn't really know why they needed social networks or SMM to create online sales, They simply desired it. Well it's basic truly because social media is Social Media, and social Networks are Social Networks they are not organisation media and organisation networks (that would be more like LinkedIn). In a current research study done by the IBM Institute for Service Value around 55% of all social media users stated that they do not engage with brands over social media at all and just around 23% in fact purposefully use social media to interact with brand names. Well initially of all I would state that having a well optimized website is still going to bring you far more business that social media in the majority of cases especially if you are a small to medium sized regional organisation due to the fact that far more people are going to type in "hairdresser Port Macquarie" into a search engine like Google, Yahoo and Bing than they ever will on any Social Media Website and if you do not have a site you're missing out on all of that possible service. The primary reason most individuals provide for interacting with brands or organisation on social media is to get discounts, yet the brand names and company themselves think the main factor people interact with them on social media is to find out about brand-new products.

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