Social Media Marketing

Another broad discipline in its own right, social media marketing has now come of age as a valid element of the online marketing mix. Once again, keywords and decent on-site optimisation are vital in fully leveraging this channel. Other key success factors include identifying the right social media sites for your target demographic, and being seen to add real value. In achieving the latter, search the relevant social media sites, industry blogs and forums for questions relating to your industry, products or services. When you find relevant questions which will often be poorly answered, look for or add rich, relevant content to your own site which addresses the question and, if needed, expands upon it. Then post a summarised but useful answer on the social media site in question with a link to the relevant page on your site for further information. This helps all of the parties involved and establishes you as a credible and helpful industry resource. Although considerable time and effort is required, the brand reputation it can create is significant. You should also find that others will start to link to you as a valuable resource.