| "Social
Media as a Marketing Tool" Funshop
With all the buzz about Social Media these days, there is an evolving
strategy that will allow businesses to utilize this powerful medium
to attract more customers and develop closer relationships with
your clients.
It is for that reason that
I proudly announce my new 3 hour workshop “Increase Sales
Through Social Media Marketing”. 
- Ever get an email from a friend or colleague asking you to join
LinkedIn™ but didn't know what it was or why they were asking
you to join?
- Did you know that Facebook™ and YouTube™ are more
than just websites that high school and college kids spend their
time on?
- Have you ever heard of Twitter™ Digg™ and Squidoo?
If these words or websites are not in your current marketing vocabulary,
then you and your business are missing out on one the most important
Internet phenomena since e-mail. I kid you not. If you are not taking
advantage of what some experts are calling the Social Media Revolution,
then you are missing out on the #1 opportunity to significantly
grow your business, bar none!
Read on to find out more about this workshop.
Some refer to it as Web 2.0, others as grass roots media. Regardless
of what you call it, it’s powerful. How powerful? 6 of the
top 10 websites are social media sites with combined monthly visits
approaching 1 Billion. That’s Billion with a “B”.
These include YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.
What is Social Media Marketing
and
How is it Different Than Traditional Marketing Strategies?
Marketing is no longer a one-way conversation. Consumers are talking
back in record numbers and giving their opinions on everything.
From politics, to music to what they buy and who they buy it from.
Almost anyone can now produce and publish articles, pictures and
video and send it out to a global audience within a matter of seconds
with the simply push of a button…and for zero cost!
Social media marketing is a method of promoting your brand, product,
service or company by making your presence known via a variety of
social media networks. Social media marketing is much more viral
than traditional forms of marketing because users now become content
producers by posting blogs, writing articles, leaving short comments
and messages. This relatively new marketing allows you to enter
the minds of your consumers and prospects and have a real conversation
and/or tell them a story about your company, products or services.
The bottom line is that consumers trust referrals from friends
more than they trust advertising. In this case, friends are those
they’ve met and built a relationship with within their specific
community or network. And even though they’ve never met, a
bond and level of trust has been built up over time and multiple
interactions and "conversations".
Are There Different
Types of Social Media?
Yes there are. And although the technology
is still evolving, most experts agree that social media can be broken
down into 8 different categories.
- Social Networking - sites like MySpace and Facebook
- Business Networking - sites like LinkedIn and
- Social Book Marking - sites like Del.icio.us and StumbleUpon
- Content Voting - sites like Digg and Reddit
- News Aggregation - sites like Technorati and Newsvine
- Directories - sites like Wikipeida and Prefound
- Video Sharing - sites like YouTube and Metacafe
- Photo Sharing - sites like Shutterfly and Flickr
Who Uses Social Media?
You do! That’s right. You
are already using or participating in social media whether you realize
it or not. Ever look up old friends on Classmates.com, read a blog,
watch a YouTube video or look up a definition on Wikapedia? Congratulations,
you are part of the social media revolution!
And guess what, so are your current and prospective customers.
A recent survey by Pew Research found that the proportion of North
Americans using social networking sites increased from 7 –
22% since 2005.
Before I Go Any Further, Let Me
Take a Moment
to Shatter a Few Myths About Social Media
| Social
Media Myth #1
Social Sites Are Just For Teenagers.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
While there are some sites like MySpace and others that were
originally created to cater exclusively to teenagers, many
of them are now attracting older participants. And although
there are literally thousands of social sites out there today,
once you determine the goals and objectives of your social
media efforts, you’ll be able to narrow down the list
to a select few that will concentrate on your target market.
|
| Social
Media Myth #2
Social Media is Just a Fad - It Will Pass!
When the Internet first arrived on the scene, it was all
about providing information and selling "stuff".
And while that is still a large part, Web 2.0 is all about
users interacting with each other and consumer generated content.
When 6 out the top 10 websites in the world are social sites
and they are getting 1 billion visitors a month and growing,
I guarantee this is not a fad. This is Web 2.0, the future!
And the best part is, that you have the opportunity to learn
about it and get involved in it while it is still relatively
new. |
| Social
Media Myth #3
Social Strategies Are Just for Big Companies.
The Internet is the great equalizer!
You are what your customers and prospects see, hear and read
on line. If you make great products or provide great services
and you can reach the right audience through a compelling
social media strategy, then your company will benefit with
more exposure, higher brand awareness and of course increased
sales. My advice is not to worry about what the big boys are
doing, do what you need to do to grow your business and believe
me you need to be doing social media marketing. Social media
is a great “guerrilla marketing” tool that you
can take advantage of and start reaping the benefits from
very quickly.
|
| Social
Media Myth #4
Social Media Marketing Will Cost a Lot
of Money to Implement.
The good news is that creating and implementing a social
media-marketing plan does not have to cost a lot of money!
As a matter of fact most social media websites cost nothing
to join. Now don’t get me wrong, as with anything, you’ll
certainly have to devote an adequate amount of time and resources
to be effective, but in actual hard dollars and cents, your
investment can be quite minimal. |
| Social
Media Myth #5
Social Media Marketing is Primarily Used for Finding Friends
and Sharing Video and Photos.
While YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and other similar sites are
indeed used to find friends and share experiences, photos
and videos, many savvy marketers are finding that they can
connect with groups, users, fans and enthusiasts.
How?
By providing free information that members might find useful
or enhance their experiences. These types of sites should
not be overlooked as a way to open 2-way dialogs with your
target market. |
| Social
Media Myth #6
You Have to be a Marketing Whiz or Computer Geek to Effectively
Use Social Media.
Once again, not true!
If you can surf the Internet, buy a book on Amazon and read
blogs, you have the skills needed to benefit from social media.
Frankly, the most important thing you need to help your company
get involved in social media marketing is the desire to learn
and the time to implement some very basic ideas and strategies.
Now, are there more advanced features on some of these sites?
Sure, but even those can be applied by just asking current
users or reading instructions that many of the sites themselves
provide.
I'm telling you, this is not rocket science! |
Now You Can Learn How to
Unleash the
Power of Social Media Marketing
I have gathered the best of the best information and brought it
all together for three jam-packed hours. No "geek speak"
or esoteric mind-mapping. Just specific time tested strategies that
you can start using right away.
During my 3 hour workshop, you’ll discover
tips, techniques and tactics that you can use the very next day
to launch your own social media campaign. You’ll learn how
to:
- Improve customer and prospect relationships
- Conduct free market research via direct prospect interaction
- Increase brand awareness
- Generate traffic to your offline business
- Drive traffic to your website
- Things you must do before you set up your social media campaign
- How to integrate social media into your current marketing plans
- Understand the critical steps to social media success
- Easy ways to get started in social media marketing
- Questions you need to ask before you get started
- Decide whether to do it yourself or hire an outside company
- Develop realistic expectations
- And much, much more.
I am also available
for keynote addresses
if that is your preference.
Contact Roy today to arrange for this workshop
to be held for your organization or business. You can also schedule
a free complimentary phone session
with Roy to find out more about how this workshop can provide you
with an insight on this new medium that will help increase your sales
and create better communication with your best clients. |
