Social media Marketing is primarily internet-based but also ties in with non-internet based methodologies such as word of mouth advertising. Social media marketing is the process of promoting a site, business or brand through social media channels by engaging and interacting with existing consumers or potential consumers.

The term most often refers to activities that are used to enable marketers to build links, attention and receive large amounts of traffic for their company or site.

At the core of social media marketing is the ideas that by listening to customers, companies will understand what the consumer values and needs. In order to understand what your customer wants, their preferences, behaviors and web ability you must utilize social media marketing in order to gain a holistic view of your users.

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Most-loyal customers: The ultimate place for brands interested in fully utilizing social media is to maintain relationships with their most loyal customers. This relationship is achieved by capturing a piece of real estate on the customer’s desktop. Bringing a brand to the desktops of its most loyal customers allows for them to interact both with other users and with the brand in a trusted environment. A brandable community that is desktop-based gives benefits to both the brand and the users who download it.

Both brands and users gain enjoyment from these desktop communities. Users of the application enjoy a closer relationship with their organizations of choice through premium content and the ability to interact with other loyal customers.

Brands and companies gain enjoyment because they have an always-on connection with their most valuable and loyal customers. Brands benefit directly from listening to the conversations of these vital users.

Participating in existing communities: Brands and companies can gain large benefits by participating in communities outside their own Web sites despite the fact that participation in these communities can sometimes be quite labor-intensive.

According to a Carlson Marketing survey, two-thirds of all U.S. economic activity is influenced by shared opinions about a product, brand or service. As social content has grown, these shared ideas have begun to migrate online, allowing markets a way of gaining insight into their customers’ thoughts that was non-existent before.

Marketers who actively view and respond in forums where their customers are discussing their products, they are able to glean a glimmer of what motivates buyers and non-buyers.

In these forums customers also clarify and/or correct any wrongful impressions of the company or brand. According to the same Carlson Marketing survey, 85% of consumers will recommend a company with which they have a trusted relationship. Participating in online communities is where the humanization of a brand or company comes about. This also increases the amount of trust between the consumer and the brand itself.

No matter what path or technology a company chooses to implement, the hardest thing for organizations to do is relinquish control. This is why brands need to learn to adapt and manage their message through participation in the process. Brands today can no longer look past deficiencies in products, services or messages with the internet’s wide usage.

Brands must learn to respond to these things appropriately by acknowledging that the customer’s opinion has standing and that fix the issue or proactively engaging in dialogue to present the perspective of the company regarding the issue at hand.

Marketers must accept that they will be giving some control of their brand to the customer in order to successfully accomplish the gains listed above. Although risks are always associated with participating in or sponsoring social networking initiatives, the rewards that will be reaped far outweigh said risks and marketers must learn to understand this and embrace it.

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The Five Pillars of Social Media Marketing

All forms of social media marketing fall under the umbrella of at least on of the following five forms of action according to Ben Willis at "www.MarketingPilgrim.com". More often than not, the same channel will include two or more of these pillars:

1. Declaration of Identity

2. Identity through Association

3. User-initiated Conversation

4. Provider-initiated conversation

5. In-Person Interaction

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What is & How to Start up, A Social Media Marketing / Networking platform

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norman-flecha

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