Social Media is a marketing tool designed to establish presence and relationship with your prospects in a timely and consistent manner.Â
What does the word social have to do with media? To me, social media is NOT media. The term media is a channel word for referring to various means of communication and is not a content word. Social media is essentially separating content from its means of distribution. Social media is a form of chatting (content) and if done on a site such as www.twitter.com is referred to as distribution.  Social media has become the platform to cover a wide range of digital spaces into a single package. It is the package to sell the platforms to those who may want to use it. When you break it down, media is the instrument of communication similar to a newspaper or a radio show and would be considered as the social instrument of communication.
Social media allows website user to drive messages about products, services, politic, entertainment, technology and so much more.
Why participate in social media?
1. Stay in touch. If you are like me and own an innovative, fast paced business, you have lost touch with people over the years. You can look them up on popular social media sites and find them. If your whole network is profiled and linked, you will never lose them again.
2. Be found. I cannot tell you how many times former friends, colleagues and business associates have found my profiles on social media sites and have contacted me. A few years ago, one of my best friends from high school found me online and contacted me. What a thrill it was to reconnect!
3. Find candidates for jobs. You can use a social media network to email the job requirements and ask for referrals. This allows you to tap in to the minds of trusted online relationships to find passive candidates or people who are not currently actively seeking work, but may find your job requirements interesting and want to interview.
4. Look for a new job. If you desire to move on from your current employment for whatever reason, use social media sites to assist you in the job search.
5. Establish your online brand. What do you want to say about you or your company? What expertise do you have to share? What accomplishments do you want to be known for? The information put in your profiles will eventually serve you well or not! When a potential customer Google’s your name or company name, will they find credentials and expertise that are credible? You will want to establish an online image before you really need it. Establishing this image or what I also refer to as a sensory package may take some time.
6. Join online groups that share your interests and profession. Facebook is a great example that allows you to create groups. I am a member of many groups ranging from online marketing, social media, business owners, etc. Following people on Twitter also yields content recommendations. Twitter groups have increased the scheduling of in-person meetings by encouraging people who are interacting online to meet face-to-face.Â
7. Develop online social connections over time on social media sites. MySpace and Facebook are sites that allow much more fun than the more professionally oriented LinkedIn. While both these sites started off for young people, participation by mature professionals has been on the rise.   Be careful what is shared online, but do not doubt the power to expand relationships.Â
8. Provide a space for users of your products or services to interact with you. Consumers want to have a conversation with you about their wants and needs. They want to tell you how to better serve them. Many of them want to build a community around products and services that they love. Give them an opportunity through blogs, online communities, forums and the like and answer their comments. Be sure to use the feed back to improve your company. It is much easier in today’s online environment to zap a note off to you on LinkedIn or Facebook or to leave a comment on a blog than to write a letter to an anonymous company.
9. Build a community around your products and services. Is your company approachable? Are the people who work in the company approachable, likable, knowledgeable and ready to listen? If not, be sure to find these types of employees and nurture them. They are the voice of your company.   Forums and blogs on your company web site and within other online community sites build a sense of community. These are your communication life lines. Create and use them.
10. Establish a Company Presence on Social Media Sites. According to the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study in Social Media, 93% of Americans believe that a company should have a presence on social media sites. It further states that 85% believe that these companies should use these services to interact with consumers
Before you go off on a tangent to start joining social media sites, be sure to join social media sites that matter to YOU and YOUR business. It can be overwhelming when first getting started in social media. Â
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Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
I learned a lot reading this, thanks for that.