Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is the process of marketing through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. By utilizing the social aspect of the web, social media marketing is able to connect and interact on a much more personalized and dynamic level than through traditional marketing.
A social media marketing strategy can be as simple as having a company blog, a Twitter account, or attaching "Digg This" and "Tweet This" tags to the end of articles. It can also be as complicated as having a full campaign that encompasses blogs, Twitter, social networking and viral videos through YouTube.
Social News:
The simplest form of social media marketing is to tag articles and blog entries for easy submission and voting on social news sites like Digg. If you've ever come across a Digg vote counter or a Share This widget at the end of an article, you've seen this form of social media marketing in action.
This type of marketing can often be automated, so it is simple to implement. It can also be very effective for media companies, and can be a great way to promote a company blog.
Blogs:
In many respects, blogs can serve as an extension of traditional media. Much as review copies might be sent to traditional media outlets like newspapers and magazines, they can also be sent to popular blogs on the subject.
Blogs also offer the opportunity to put together 'virtual tours'. For example, many authors have gravitated towards having virtual book tours, which allows them to reach their fans without the travel expenses. These virtual book tours can include author interviews and Q&A sessions as well as book reviews and book giveaways.
Social Networking:
It has become increasingly important to have a presence on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. In addition to these popular social networks, there are also many specialized social networks that might be the perfect place to set up camp for specific products.
Social networks not only give the marketer a place to get the word out, they also provide a place to interact with customers and allow customers to interact with each other. This can be a great starting point for the marketing to go viral and pick up a grassroots effort.
Twitter:
Twitter has picked up a lot of steam in the last year for being a great place for social media marketing. While Twitter has grown far beyond its microblogging roots, it is important to think of Twitter similar to a company blog. While the primary purpose is to get the word out, it is just as important to add a personal touch rather than relying on RSS feeds to deliver stale press releases or simply repeat the company blog.
YouTube:
Some of the most effective social media marketing strategies center around YouTube and the viral video. While often more time-consuming and expensive, YouTube can easily become the centerpiece of a larger social media campaign. Because of its social nature, YouTube can be a great way to interact with customers and get them involved with the marketing as well as the product.