A lot of people have heard a lot about social media marketing, but not really know why they would use it. It sounds very scary until you realize that you are probably already using it in your daily life. Social media is using internet assets (websites, blogs, podcasts and others) to communicate socially. It really isn’t new since user groups have been around for years. However, because the web is so widely used and the technology has become so accessible to people, that any level of dissertation, discussion, forum, chat, graffiti are in the hands of the people. Social media marketing (SMM) is simply utilizing the two way communication potential of these assets to create conversations that are important to you. It is that simple. It is a huge happening, at the same time it is enacted piece by piece to create something of a greater whole that has meaning to you.

And So Why Would I Use Social Media Marketing?

There are at least a few reasons why so many people are using SMM:

1. SMM is easily searched on the web. What that means to you is that market research information is easy to obtain compared to the old day. If you remember the days when market research reports cost thousands of U.S. Dollars, you can appreciate that market research information about your topic is free, if you know how to get it or get someone who knows how to get it. 2. Since web communications are frequent (nearly continuous in some cases), the information about the market is very fresh. Every time that someone writes a blog, or makes an entry to a Facebook page or uses Twitter, the content is new, it is happening now and is measured in thousands of messages during the time it takes you to read this sentence.

2. The talk is frank, real and malleable. That means, if you really want to know what people think about your topic, you are going to hear it and it has a lot of meaning to people because they have taken the trouble to air their concerns or share their passions. However (this is where you come in), your audience are very open in the discussion based on the fact they want to know the truth. If your interests can lay out the facts more clearly, and you become a better solution, then you can negotiate a change in their opinion, actions or knowledge to your favor. What do I mean by the word malleable? I mean that the truth can be formed in many ways that can make sense to a lot of different people of various opinions. Never before in history do you have the opportunity of forming your message so carefully and getting a near term reaction from your customers.

3. Nearly free outbound marketing possible. We are talking here about really effective marketing media — audio, video, text, e-mail, mobile. Why has TV been so popular all these years? Because people do not need to do very much to watch TV — they simply watch passively since it is very simple. Now with video or audio, you have the potential to become the broadcaster, and get people on your channel to hear what you have to say. That is power and it is not exactly free, but does not need to cost very much either.

Summary

Perhaps you now see why there is some much discussion about SMM. You have got something on your mind. Whether it is spirituality in the workplace, or reducing carbon footprint, wind power, women in business or diaper rash. The world (or any piece of it) is your audience. Since you can search based on your keywords, it is easy to get to where the audience is at and since they are talking now, you get to hear and talk to them. And so the question for you is, what would like to happen in your life. Do you want to know how or teach someone to crush grapes to make wine? You can start right now.

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© Copyright – 2008 Frank Dobner