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Posts Tagged ‘social media marketing’

Some very interesting statistics and insights were released in the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report for 2010 sponsored by Social Media Examiner.  The number of participants more than doubled from last years study and the report shows a significant change in how people view using social media as a marketing tool to directly connect with customers.

Even a year ago people were not sure about social media, but make no mistake – Social media is here and it’s here to stay!  As Michael Stelzner of the Social Media Examiner says “Much like email and websites first empowered businesses, social media is the next marketing wave.”

Just look at this sampling summary for their primary findings:

• Top three questions marketers wanted answered:  (1) How do I measure social media return on investment? (2) What are the social media best practices?  and (3) How do I best manage my time with social media?
• Marketers are mostly new to social media: A significant 65% of marketers surveyed have only been involved with social media marketing for a few months or less.
• How much time does it take? The majority of marketers (56%) are using social media for 6 hours or more each week, and nearly one in three invest 11 or more hours weekly.
• The top benefits of social media marketing: The number-one advantage of social media marketing (by a long shot) is generating exposure for the business indicated by 85% of all marketers, followed by increasing traffic (63%) and building new business partnerships (56%).

The above summary is merely a sampling of the information in the actual report.  In addition to the sample list above, people also wanted to know about blogging and social media, generating traffic and leads, the tools needed for social media, and especially about the time commitment. 

This report also contains graphs, charts, and is packed full  of information on social media and how others are using it to market their businesses.   It’s a great tool to use in planning your own social media marketing strategies!

Click here to receive your Free copy of this revealing report

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing

Recently I responded to a colleague, Rita Zamora’s, post discussing social media and the mistake sometimes made of thinking it’s free.  

As noted on my response, I agree it’s a mistake to pretend social media is free.  Although joining the sites  such as Twitter, Facebook,  LinkedIn, YouTube, etc are free, there is the time involved in maintaining the sites, especially when maintained well.         

However when you consider the massive amount of money spent by businesses/practices on traditional advertising/marketing, yellow page ads,   direct mail out’s that reach about 3% at best 5% of the market mailed to (makes you wonder what happened to the other 95% of their investment). and magazine ads, then you factor in how many, or should we say how few, people are actually reached with traditional advertising, the cost of budgeting money for a ongoing social media presence pales in comparison. 

Printed ads are placed in books that go out into surrounding area’s that would most likely not drive all the way to your business, therefore, much of the paid information falls into non-targeted areas. 

Add to that the fact only about 15% of the population still uses telephone books and print ads with the other 85% using online sources, you can see why creating and maintaining your online line presence is critical to your business.

With social media, you have the golden opportunity to directly target your market as you increase your business/practice exposure while ultimately creating incredible opportunities to be visible and responsive to your market.

As with anything we build, social media takes time and as noted “time is money”, but whether social media is handled “in-house” by a (paid) employee or “outsourced” to a social media specialist, social media is word of mouth advertising at it’s (targeted) best!

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Would you like to learn more about using Social Media to increase your online visibility, build profitable relationships, and grow your practice?  Livvie Matthews, a Certified Social Media Specialist, Blogger, and Speaker, is passionate about helping dentists leverage the incredible marketing power social media presents for their practice and their bottom line!  Email livvie@writebusiness.net or visit http://www.writebusiness.net/blog

Technorati Tags: Building Business, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing

Social media is a great marketing tool when done correctly.  Even though it’s a relatively new area, there are “rules of etiquette” that should be followed to achieve the maximum benefit. 

This post The 11 Rules of Social Media Etiquette  by Eric Brantner presents a great template to model your social media efforts on. 

#6 Build Quality Relationships is my favorite.  When put in a summary, Social Media IS for building relationships, not  for making sales.  As you build the relationships and gain their trust, the sales will follow.

Do you have any rules of etiquette you would add to the list, if so please add them in your comments.

Technorati Tags: Building Business, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing

2. Join several of the Social Networks, but only focus your time on 3 possibly 4: You don’t want to spread yourself too thin.  Again, social media can be quite distracting and overwhelming at times unless you focus your efforts and focus your time.

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Copywriting, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing

Thinking about starting or just starting an Internet business and finding it can become an overwhelming process?  Below are 7 steps to help guild you along the way.

1.  Start a blog:  Your blog is your prime piece of real estate.  It’s your hub in Internet and Social Media marketing and is used for producing value driven content which search engines love.  Most of your status updates from Twitter, FB, and LinkedIn should contain links back to your blog posts.   Blogs help establish you as a thought leader in your niche market and creates credibility and trust.  A good program to use for creating your blog is wordpress.org.  There are many free templates available, just do a Google search for free wordpress templates.

2.   Begin interacting with your market:  Create your profile on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and You Tube.  Also look for 1 or 2 groups to join and join in the conversations.  This is where you will begin building relationships and creating credibility and trust as you establish yourself as a leader in your area of expertise. A word of caution:  This is where it can become overwhelming, so set your own pace and always ask for help.  There are plenty of people online willing to help you each step of the way. 

3.  Build your list:  Many times we try to develop the products first, then try to “drive” the people to the products.  Instead build your list first,  create the product, then “draw” the people to the products.    One of the biggest benefits to interacting with your market first on your social media sites is having already gained your market’s trust.  The time spent building those relationships makes it much easier to gather the email addresses of your market needed for building your list.  In this new marketing arena, people are more likely to share their email with those they know and feel they can trust.

4.  Provide Consistent Value:  You must provide value…consistent value.  As you present your information, think about how it will benefit your readers.  What do they want to know?  What do they want to see?  How can you provide solutions for your readers?  Never underestimate what your readers know.  Some of the very basic information may be exactly what they are looking for.  We have a tendency to think if we know it, everyone else must know it also.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Include value packed, basic and advanced, information for your readers.  Remember:  Be specific, be informative, be approachable, and (very important) always be genuine.

5.  Find out what your subscribers want…Ask!:  You have something to offer, remember?  That’s why you are in business.  Ask your subscribers specifically what problem they are having. What’s their biggest challenge, their most frustrating problem, or their most pressing issue?  Provide solutions for your subscribers.  Let them know you not only have their solution…you are their solution!

6.  Stay in contact:  Another element in your Internet business is keeping your name and targeted marketing content in front of your clients/patients and prospects.  A question often asked is: How often should I contact subscribers on my list?   There isn’t a clear cut answer except to never spam or harass your list.   Contact them  with valuable content a minimum of one time a month, but more preferably, every two weeks or weekly contact is good.  The point is you want to keep your name in front of your market as the go-to person for the solution to their problems or to buy your products and services when they are ready to purchase. 

7.   Build relationships:   In all the above listed steps, there is one connecting element…building relationships.  Be personable and accessible.  Viewers need to know what you have accomplished, yes, but more importantly, they need to know who you are and that you are real.  It’s relationships first and business second.

Summary:  Through your blog posts; interacting with your market; building your list; providing consistent value; finding what your subscribers want; and staying in contact, you will be building profitable relationships while creating credibility and gaining trust as you leverage these 7 steps to build and strengthen your Internet business.

Technorati Tags: Building Business, Internet Marketing, Livvie Matthews, social media marketing