Social Media - The Marketing Magnet of the Future

Alright it is time for Lifestyle Change Tip # 3!

Keep your resolution of greater lead generation through the inexpensive and truly effective new wave of marketing: online, inbound, social media marketing. 

Why should Social Media be part of your new year marketing strategy? 

Citing Mike Volpe, Vice President of Marketing at HubSpot, a Cambridge based company specializing in marketing software solutions, the old method of marketing - termed outbound marketing as you and your business are reaching out to your audience - is going the way of the dinosaur.  Why is this so?  When you think of outbound marketing - print ads, television and radio commercials, telemarketers, e-mails - think of how you personally can find this method an annoyance, an interruption.  Mike Volpe compared it to a sledge hammer, interrupting the flow of your work, and honestly who likes a sledge hammer interrupting them while they are going about their day? Now, think of all of the new ways to avoid such interruptions.  We have Tivo, satellite radio, caller ID, Spam filters for our inboxes, and we can simply ignore and throw away any junk mail.  This method of outbound marketing is on its way out, and you and your business need to be aware of and prepared for the evolution in marketing.  Marketing Darwinism has decreed that the "fittest" form of marketing nowadays is inbound; Mike Volpe compared this method of marketing to a magnet, where you and your business are pulling your audience in to you, and the most effective "magnet" so to speak is utilizing popular social media sites. 

Social Media, obviously is media with a social aspect.  It is analogous to the business cocktail party "without the constraints of time or space" (Volpe). Unlike the cocktail party, you can log in to your social media site anytime, anywhere and obtain the same results or better seeing as you have a far greater reach online than you would at a party.  Like the cocktail party, you should use your Social Media sites to listen to what people are saying - learn what your prosective leads might be looking for or are interested in, learn what others in your field are saying -; meet people - maybe people in your industry whom you can begin a symbiotic relationship with, maybe prospective leads -; and start conversations - answer questions, look like an Authority and Expert in your field, and ask questions to see what people are looking for, if they require any of your products or services, if you can benefit from their knowledge. Like the cocktail party, it is your mission to become a true member of this community, adding value to it with your questions and answers. 

What are the most popular social media sites? 

The most popular Social Media site today is Facebook.  If Facebook were a country, it would be the third most populated country today.  If you only have time for the maintenance of one Social Media site, I highly suggest putting your efforts into Facebook. 

Other sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn are highly frequented as well.

The 3 things you should be doing on your Social Media sites

There are three things that you must do with your Social Media sites, and they are:

1. Publish!

Publish all quality content, everywhere that you can.  Facebook, Twitter, your company blog, YouTube, Flickr, anywhere and everywhere to gain as much exposure as you can.  Remember that content is the key!  Only publish quality content that will make you seem the expert in your field, the authority on the subject, a trusted advisor.  Also keep in mind to police what others are publishing about you; if it is positive feedback, then be sure to spread it about and advertise it yourself, and if it is negative then be sure to perform damage control by rectifying the problem at hand and then publishing the scoop that you went out and fixed the sore spot in your otherwise perfect brand.  Don't know where to get started?  See what others in your field are publishing.  This is a perfect way to begin your Social Media efforts.  You will see what is "hot," what people are talking about, and this way you can begin by promoting what the experts are already saying: making you seem the expert yourself and getting you established in the online community. 

2. Share!

Share all of your fantastic content: everywhere and with everyone! Share on such sits as Digg, Del.Icio.us, Slashdot, Propeller, StumbleUpon, Reddit, et cetera!  Sharing basically boils down to promoting your content, getting it out there, exposed, noticed, talked about, making you seem the expert and pulling in leads.  In order to successfully promote your content, to the right audience - targeting your ideal leads - you need to understand where they are "hanging out" online, and what they are interested in reading about.

3. Network!

The two best sites for business networking are Facebook and LinkedIn.  Obviously, publishing and sharing content will help you to network on Social Media sites, but you must also follow what other people are saying.  It cannot be a one way street.  You need to dialogue with people, build relationships.  The best way to start networking online?  Find your existing contacts!  Promote your Facebook page, social media pages, everywhere: in your email signatures, on your website, in your e-newsletters.  Join relevant groups!  Get connected!  It will lead you to leads!

And finally . . .  

Be sure to always measure your results!  Now that you are utilizing Social Media, you must also discover which of your sites are pulling people into your website and generating leads for your company, or else the entire endeavor will be for naught.  Find out what is not working and either ditch or revamp it.  Find out what is working and improve upon that.  How can you measure your results?  There are many analytic tools available to you online.  For example, you can use a free service such as Google Analytics that will inform you how many visitors to your website came from your Facebook page.

So there you have it! 

 Three simple, inexpensive, easy Lifestyle Changes  that will make a world of difference for you and your company in the new year.

Want to learn more about the raw powers of Social Media Marketing?  I truly suggest that you check out HubSpot. Www.hubspot.com - Check out their Marketing Blog, their Marketing Webinars (Under Resources on their Home Page), and subscribe to their e-newsletter "The Magnet."