Today it has become very important to find ways to build an image for your company or organization. If the company has not been in business for a very long time, it may seem an almost impossible task to get people to recognize your business. One of the best things that a business might consider doing is to implement social media strategies. These social media tips can make the difference between your company’s success and failure in this trying market.

Everyone is looking to tap into the new electronic communication fad that makes up Twitter and Face Book. Everyone is trying to remain in constant connection with everyone else. A business can take advantage of this potential market by using the social media strategies. First, the company needs to make sure their website is set up to allow people access to the popular social media tools. Allowing people to sign up to receive notices and updates that your company wants to keep people aware of can be a great benefit to the company.

If you are unsure of exactly what social media is the simplest definition would be any type of media that allows people to interact with each other and enhances communications. This could be something as simple as text messaging. Many people enjoy being able to have instant notices of things going on in the world. When you allow your customers to sign up for news stories and updates, your company decides exactly what information you want to distill. This is a great social media strategies.  Implementing social media tips can include offering incentives to customers that visit your company website.

When people are looking for a job, networking is a great way to find opportunities. Business should consider using social media strategies such as networking to keep your business in the eye of the public. It would not be a good idea to just try out just anything as part of new social media strategies. Take the time to learn more about social media tips that can work best for your particular form of company. Everyone enjoys reading the celebrity magazines that are often found in the supermarkets. Even if they realize the information is false, it still helps to get the celebrities name out in the public’s eye.

A great many websites and companies exist to help any business that has made the decision to implement new social media strategies. Take the time to research any social media tips the company may provide for you to ensure they fit the type of business and management style your company has. Once you have done some research, you will be better prepared to implement the right social media tools that will not only enhance your company image but make the company website one that everyone wants to visit.

The number of visitors that visit your website and want to remain in contact with your company is a great way to measure the feel of your customers.

“Own your own platform – don’t rely on Facebook being in business in a year.”

I recently watched a webinar hosted by Maddock Douglas on social media strategy, and the above quote in the presentation made me think about the place that social media has within overall business strategy.  I’m relatively new to social media marketing myself, but the above quote reminds me of an article I read (Porter, Michael E., “Strategy and the Internet”, pp 62-78, March 2001, Harvard Business Review) about the role of the internet in business strategy in the mid to late 1990s.  I’ll spare you the experience of reading it by providing a very brief and general summary.  I hope you keep reading my short article; I’m interested in your thoughts.

The internet ushered in a new way of conducting business.  Relationships between buyers and suppliers (B2B) were solidified due to the proprietary nature of e-commerce platforms and database management systems.  They were solidified because of the high switching costs inherent in the technology.  As such it was often predicted at the time that the internet would contribute to sources of competitive advantage, the key component of business strategy.  This did not happen.  As internet applications evolved along with internet technology, and implementation as well as hardware costs dropped significantly, it was quickly seen that internet technology would greatly facilitate business processes and transactions, but not result in competitive advantage for any particular firm or sector, simply because everyone now has access to it, and acquisition and switching costs are often not significant.  In fact, the internet increased competition because it allowed buyers, whether business or consumer, to access information that was previously unavailable to them (competitors, 3rd party reviews, videos, and more), and quickly.  In short, the internet made buyers more savvy.

From a company’s perspective, having access to the internet, as well as a website is seen as a necessity in today’s business environment, as opposed to a competitive advantage, as some predicted a decade and a half ago.  This finally brings me back to social media’s place in business strategy.

Adoption of social media platforms is still not ubiquitous.  This is simply because the concept is still relatively new, and popular in only some industries.  In fact, social media use is also regionalized.  By that I mean that some countries have adopted it much more than others, even though they have considerable access to the internet (something to keep in mind when considering your target market while designing your social media strategy).  And for those reasons there are many companies specializing in social media-related services, and more are coming because it’s still a developing industry, just like the dot-coms were in the late 1990s.  The difference is that the internet was thought to revolutionize the way business is done in general, and many dot-com companies abandoned the fundamentals of business strategy.  Very simplistically, this is in part why the dot-com bubble burst early this decade.  Not that the circumstances will be repeated, but nevertheless a lesson that today’s social media marketers and service providers should keep in mind when strategically planning ahead.  But I’m going off topic.

As industries, companies, and countries adapt and embrace social media, it may also become a necessity, just like the internet did, and not a competitive advantage.  This is already happening.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone say that if you don’t use social media in your business you’ll be left behind.  So guess what I did.  I started using social media.  You’re looking at it right now.  Adoption of social media is becoming a necessity rather than a differentiating factor in an already competitive business environment.

Internet based technologies develop and evolve quickly.  Some become business critical, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems (eg. Salesforce.com), and communication tools (email).  I believe that social media (marketing) is not far from becoming critical to business.  All these technologies have something in common: The rate at which they evolve from tools of differentiation to those of necessity in order to compete on level ground.  Business corporate strategy, on the other hand, does not change at this pace.  Much like other internet applications, social media is a tool and should be part of a business strategy, but alone it is insufficient to be the business strategy.  To be successful, a company’s social media strategy should reflect its foundation, which is the corporate or business strategy.

To me, the quote at the beginning mirrors the rapidly changing nature of technological tools, and the need to ground them in solid business strategy.

While Social Media is geared towards B2C marketing, the malleability of the medium itself leaves everything open to interpretation. So if we take a B2B business, and use an abstract method of marketing via Social, the results are equally as incredible.

The majority of business marketing on Social Media is mainly to establish a few things:

* Reputation
* Presence
* Credibility

No business, B2C or B2B is capable of ‘direct sales’ to users of convergent media – a complete commercial suicide – so by utlising core business responsibilities whilst online, we can tap into the viral magic that Social Media brings.

1. Make Them Believe You’re ‘The Man’

Blogs and Twitter accounts for c0nsumer-oriented brands go off like wildfire, but if you business does not tap into the mass consumers of the web, don’t expect your followers or subscribers to number in the millions.

Instead, concentrate on the end result of your product or service – concentrate on how the implementation of your product or service impacts on these consumers, even if it’s indirectly. Talk about your industry, demonstrate your knowledge and even post a few case studies here and there.

Insightful blogs will ALWAYS generate a following/readership… at the end of the day, your credibility online can translate into ‘general knowledge’ for businesses you end up dealing with, and in turn, might just win you that contract over your competitors.

2. Who Are My Customers?

Yes, Social is the way in which we communicate – but all that data can surely be used for something right?

Right. Research. All this free data means its easy for you to find our where your customers are, what they’re saying and what their spending habits are.

Who are my customers? Why, they’re the customers of the business you’re selling your product or service to!

You see, by targeting the end consumer, you’re instantly going in from two angles – meaning demand for your B2B product or service could be generated by the customers of the clients who you sell to.

Also, watching industry trends closely could open up your business prospects on to a new playing field.

3. Find Your Competitors, and Beat Them To the Punch Line

You might be lucky – your competitors have little/no/negative presence – but that does not mean they’re not a threat.

If you’re competing with other B2B businesses for that contract, it always helps if you have a large, connected network – because you never know whether they are an influencer to the very decisions that your prospect makes.

Try looking for your way in via Linked In and Twitter first, before utilising other methods.

4. Apply, Listen, Revise

At the end of the day, you’re only going to secure that B2B deal if the prospect feels you’re sharper, more knowledgeable and better prepared. This all comes from constant immersion into the very industry you’re a part of:

* Subscribe to Blogs
* Network with Experts on Linked In
* Follow influencers of your industry on Twitter
* Find passionate commenters and introduce them to your own Blog
* Make it easy for anyone to find you (be on the top of Google)
* Have fun, take yourself less seriously, and keep an open mind

If your B2B business would like to tap into immense potential of the Social movement, then you need Social Media Campaign and a Social Media Expert – http://www.strongmandigital.com.au

You want answers? Here they are – evaluate your own Social Media strategy.
Here are 5 of the hottest tips to evaluating your own Social Media strategy. If you’re going to start, make sure you start on the right foot.

1. Is my platform the right one?

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and YouTube are the core, central ingredients to any Social Media campaign – however it is important to understand the audience of each of these platforms (and any other Social Network you’re thinking of utilising).

Twitter is an explosive and immediate way of sharing information, and allows you to watch and listen to trends and find out what your demographic is interested in. Facebook allows you to engage users with Pages, Groups and Communities – and each serve a different purpose/limitation. Blogging is an extremely powerful and inviting tool that improves not only Search Engine Optimisation, but invite recurring visits – but requires commitment to keep it relevant and current. YouTube’s audience is phenomenally large, and benefits any and every brand engaged within it.

2. Message appropriately

Research your demographic and their behaviours online. Traditionally, marketing involves mimicking the consumer – however Socially, it’s the consumer that dictates your message. Respect and understand your audience.

3. Listen

People complain all the time about you, your industry and everything in between. Listen and monitor the chatter about you to truly tick the boxes with your online consumers.

Try TweetDeck.com, which allows you to download an application to enable you to view multiple Twitter columns simultaneously, and include one or two about keywords for your industry and your brand name.

4. Let them contribute

Consumers help you define your brand and they are after constant acceptance by you. Ask questions of them, listen to opinions, and share what has benefited your business from their input with the world.

5. Have some fun

Serious and boring just doesn’t cut it online. You’ve got to entertain people. Find interesting ways to engage your audience and you will be repaid in ways unmatched by other marketing methods.

If your business would like a hand with getting in touch with the largest consumer market on earth, we can help: http://www.strongmandigital.com.au/

Social Media Video Marketing For Small Business

There’s no denying the amount of eyeballs watching online videos today, and you’ve heard all the chatter about social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, heck your competitor is probably already on most of these sites. Your intuition tells you that there are lots of visitors to these sites.

With over 400,000,000 members, Facebook is a giant that cannot be ignored. Social networks like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have changed the way people research and make buying decisions. When leveraged in your favor you’ll have the opportunity to build more trust, respect, and credibility with your customers than ever before.

But how does this apply to your local business when it seems like everyone online is watching Michael Jackson, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce or Lady Gaga Videos?

There Are Other Online Videos to Watch!

Well, believe it or not there is a hungry market out there seeking out videos like â€Ŕhow to fix a leaky faucet videoâ€Â, food catering videos, teeth whitening, landscaping design videos, how to fix your plumbing, prepare your taxes, cooking, health, dieting, exercise and dating tips … etc. You get the picture, the important question is â€ŔAre you here in front of all these potential customers?â€Â. If not, Why?

Currently there are over 26 BILLION videos viewed per month in the United States alone. YouTube has become the #4 search engine on the internet, recently surpassing Google’s own search engine in total views, and it’s only a portal to user-created videos.

No doubt about it – This is the most profound paradigm shift in media distribution, advertising and online lead generation in the history of the internet.

Imagine if you had the budget to run infomercials 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, do you think you’d be able to dominate your market?

Leveraging Social Media Traffic

By submitting the right types of videos to many video sites, social networks, blogs and podcasts, you’ll be able to get top rankings in a very short time, while generating traffic to your online lead capture page, phone number or website.

Local customers searching for your products and services are drawn to videos distributed to social media sites. It’s a very powerful strategy that the Local Yellow Pages, Coupon Flyers or Newspapers can’t replicate.

By Leveraging the largest online social media communities like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter you’ll be able to get top page rankings in the search engines and drive targeted traffic to your website.

Social Media Marketing for Local Search

Local search visibility ensures that you are the top choice in your local market, getting you exposure in ALL search engines. But how can you dominate local search visibility?

In order to show up all over the search results page you need to utilize social media marketing techniques. You need to actively market videos, blogs, podcasts, social status sites, websites, local directories and profile pages.

The more content you get distributed into the social network community, the more listings you will have in the search engines, more visibility and a better chance that someone will find and click on your content and not your competitors.

So, How Do You Get Started?

The key to video marketing is establishing a lead generation strategy that targets your customers with videos that contain highly relevant content with targeted keywords in your Title, Tags and Descriptions.

1. First, you need to research the keywords you are targeting, you want to make sure that these keywords are really being searched by your customers, (i.e. â€ŔChicago Used Car Dealerâ€Â, â€ŔNaperville Chiropractorâ€Â, â€ŔItalian Restaurant in Lombardâ€Â, â€ŔPlumbers in New Yorkâ€Â)

2. Next, put these keywords in your video Title, Tags, Description and on your Profile Pages. Then, create your video with that theme and link the video to a properly crafted landing page, your website or profile page.

3. Finally, track the visitors and clicks on your landing page, this way you will know if the keywords and videos need some tweeking to get the conversion rate and ROI you desire.

4. Continue the above steps for as many keywords that apply to your business or market. Remember, always keep on theme, you don’t want to use keywords that are not relevant to your video content or business.

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have changed the way people research and make buying decisions. When leveraged in your favor you’ll have the opportunity to build more trust, respect, and credibility with your customers than ever before.