How To Market Successfully Using Social Media

Marketing through social media can be a tricky proposition, at least in the beginning. On the one hand, social networks are designed to provide a powerful new way to spread information through trusted sources, moving word of mouth into the digital realm. On the other hand, social media marketing requires a whole new vocabulary, and a detailed online strategy, for a business to use it effectively.

Don’t ignore Social Media Marketing

The first lesson of social media marketing is that it represents just one piece of a comprehensive lead-generation strategy. Social networks let a business spread the word about its products and services, but first its products need to be presented in an attractive way. The look of a business’ website, and the quality of its content, is an important condition for any online marketing plan.

Having an attractive website is something that can take a bit of attention. The demands of Web surfers have changed dramatically over just the last three or four years, as smartphones and tablets have claimed a growing share of online browsing. With half of that browsing on iPhones and iPads, websites that use Flash run the risk of not displaying properly for a large portion of their visitors, and sites that rely on drop-down menus and other dynamic pages, should make sure they still function for users without a mouse.

More fundamentally, the demands of users with smaller screens who spend less time on individual pages has encouraged a trend toward simple, elegant website designs. But this should not be taken to mean that sites ought to cut back on content, as good social media marketing depends on just the opposite.

In some ways, the growth of mobile browsing and social media are directly linked, as social networks are changing the very way people use the Internet. The last decade has been dominated by search engines, making search optimization a website’s most powerful tool to attract visitors. Now, however, social media apps provide a much more accessible user experience for users on the go, leading a growing number of people to discover new sites through links shared by friends.

As a result, social media marketing is poised to become an even more powerful resource. And while some of its features match nicely with the steps needed for SEO, it requires another step to succeed.

Both strategies depend on an appealing web presence, with a well-designed website and fresh, engaging content. But while SEO is focused on helping a site attract online search engines, with an emphasis on strong keywords, a social media strategy should be focused on promoting a business and engaging its customers. It simply needs a strong web presence to refer back to.

Certain types of content appeal to both techniques. Blogs provide a steady stream of fresh content that can attract search engines, while giving visitors something to link to or share through social media. But a social media marketing strategy means going a step further to promote the product, using a business Facebook page or Twitter account to direct viewers to the latest content and trying to start a conversation. And the larger social media sties include features that can connect a business’ website directly into the social network, allowing visitors to link, like or tweet your content with a single tap of their finger.

The purpose of social media marketing is to support a business’ core practice, so they can’t generate the desired volume of leads without a strong web presence to work with. Having a strong company website, optimized for today’s online visitor, is critical to getting the ball rolling.