Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social Media Marketing (SMM) | Social Networking | Social Marketing

Do you have a profile page on Facebook.com? Or one on MySpace.com or Linkedin.com? What about the other social marketing sites and getting listed at social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and a host of others.  Are you posting Videos on YouTube.com?

Wait, you say. Aren't those just for kids or college students to share gossip?

Not any more.  Not for a while now. These and other social networking sites like are being used every day by savvy business people looking for new ways to connect with potential clients and generate business. Granted... I should have been using them for at least a couple of years and now we're jumping in full force to stake our claim and it's already paying off in more traffic and higher search engine ranknigs.

You can use them to increase traffic to your site, gain a competitive edge and improve communication with your target market.

You'll also want to secure your online identity and protect your brand.  My definition about social media is a community web site that allow users to:

• Create profiles and custom accounts


• Grow a network of friends


• Submit content or collaborate... Photos, video, etc.


• Vote on content


• Tag content


• Comment on the content

I'll be sharing with you exactly what I'm doing and how well it's working.

Here's my simple 5 Step Plan for using Social Media Marketing to build my business.

1. Be an Active Participant on each site.


2. Have a Consistent Presence on the top 25 Social Media Sites


3. Add Value to the Targeted Prospects in each Category and Topic area.


4. Encourage feedback from the readers to create discussions and conversations.


5. Post my opinions and comments on other blogs, profiles and postings

MySpace:  http://www.myspace.com/primeconcepts

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/primeconcepts

Newsvine:  http://primeconcepts.newsvine.com/

Linkedin: "Ford Saeks" http://www.linkedin.com/in/primeconcepts

FaceBook: "Ford Saeks"

And we've claimed our blog on Technorati.com

What do you think about Social Media Sites?  Post your opinions and comments.

Comments

[Mari Smith]

Great post, Ford - I like your simple 5 step plan.

I totally agree with #3!! I think social media from a business standpoint in particular is ALL about adding value and building relationships. (A philosophy shared by Buckminster Fuller!)

Though, with limited time, I'm not sure about participating on 25 SM sites!! I usually recommend professionals choose one or two as a primary focus and then experiment with others and track results. Facebook is my top pick. I also love Twitter for the instant real-time factor. I'm dabbling with Ning just now and a few others like Plaxo.

I'm also seeing a growing need for busy professionals to outsource their SM activity. I sought out a competent VA last year so I'd have someone to refer high level clients to. For myself I'm choosing to do all my own activities so far... but I'm sure feeling stretched!

I do think the key is to see and be seen in as many places as possible... and still be able to measure specific results.