Introduction to Social Media Marketing:

{ Please note: This article is out of date, but provides good basic information. }
Now is the time to tap into the ever-growing power of social media marketing. Businesses of all sizes are seeing tremendous results with social media. Navigating the web 2.0 envirnoment can be a bit confusing and challenging for new comers, which is why we are proud to offer this guide to businesses owners ready to take the plunge.
Time Is Of the Essence
”’ It’s vital for any individual or business embarking on the social media marketing journey to know one important fact. It takes time! It can take a tremendous amount of time. But if you budget your time wisely, you can see results and not go crazy trying to keep up. Although for those owners and managers who just don’t have the time at hand to invest into social media, we offer a variety of services to help. We can do everything from planning a social media blueprint to actually building and managing your accounts. Knowing it takes time is the first step, and committing the time to it is vital to see success. If you’re ready to take on the challenge, this guide will break down the basic ins and outs. So let’s get started!
Know Your Goals
Before sending out your first tweet, or making your first Facebook status update, it is so important to know what it is you’re hoping to accomplish with social media. Having a clear cut idea of what you want to get out of your efforts is a great way to iron out kinks in your plan before getting into the thick of trying to keep up with everything in the social media sphere. Get past the money. Of course long term as a business you’re looking for more sales and more money, but don’t start there. Are you hoping to increase brand awareness? Do you want to fix a negative reputation, start a positive one? Are you trying to connect with your customers? Do you want to know what customers think of your company and your products/services? Maybe you’re interested in networking with other businesses in your industry?
Know what you want. Write out your goals, and keep them in mind as you build your profiles, and your networks. Never losing sight of these goals can make a huge difference in how you measure the success of your social media campaign.
The Basics:
There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to tackle social media. Many people think making a Myspace page and just letting it sit is enough. Others think you need profiles on 60 networks and need to be active on all of them. There are some basic techniques we use to make the transition into social networking as seamless and painless as it can be. Follow these tips and save yourself some grief down the road.
Let’s take a look at some universal basic tips for social media. Regardless of what services you plan to use, these tips will apply for all of them. Take these to heart before even creating yours first profile.

1. Its called social media for a REASON.
   The thing to remember here is social media works online, just like social activity works offline. Meaning, don’t be “that guy” at the party who just doesn’t get it. Act that way, and I can promise you that you won’t be invited back. I know that you may have an amazing product or service to offer your network, but no one will be interested in just hearing your sales pitch. Instead, take the time to socialize. Be conversational, and most of all offer fresh and interesting content to your network. You’ve got to prove you’re worth listening to before anyone will tune in.
2. What does your Profile Say About You?
   The next step when starting out on your social media journey is building up your profiles. This requires consistency. Making sure your user image, user name, description, and contact info are the same is so important. When building a brand, people must be able to readily tell it’s your company they are connecting with. Consistent branding can really grow your network.
3. Get Active! You’d be surprised how many people don’t get this step. If you want to reap the benefits of a social networking you have to participate in the network. Making sure you are active, and participating in the community is the only way to earn friends, and brand advocates. It takes time, but it’s vital. You cannot allow too much time to go by between updates.
4. Support the Community: The relationships you forge in social media are very similar to the relationships you forge in real life. There will always be givers and takers. Make sure you are a good balance of giving and taking. Show support to your network if you expect them to support you as well. This is a golden rule many new social media users overlook.

Now that you’ve got the basics down, there are 2 rules you’ve got to be willing to follow to see success in your social media efforts.

Join the Conversation: You’ve got to get in there before the door closes. Be active and make your voice heard.
Be Transparent: Don’t put up a façade. Don’t show them smoke and mirrors. Your network wants to see you for what you are. They expect transparency, but in the very least they’ll accept translucency. Be willing to share.

Twitter, Facebook, & MySpace
These networks are the tri-fecta of social media marketing on the web. Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace currently dominate the social media game with the most users, the most activity, and the highest chance for a successful campaign. While not all businesses do well with social media, everyone should have some sort of presence on these three networks. Depending on your business and your time commitment, you may want to pursue activity on other networks as well, but starting out with these three is a great way to get used to the social media sphere and how to interact with users in this space.
We are going to go in depth with each of these networks, in order to give you the best idea of how to get started, and what to expect from growing your networks socially.
Twitter – What is it?
Twitter is a mirco-blogging network which invites its users to answer a simple question: What are you doing? This question is answered in 140 characters or less. The interesting thing about twitter is that it is not a one to one type of communication tool, it’s a one to many communication tool. So, you can send a message out, instantly to an entire community ready to respond in seconds.
How to Use it? Twitter Tutorial, Getting Started
Facebook – What is it?
Facebook is a social networking site originally exclusive to college students. Building in popularity since it’s inception in 2005, now Facebook is THE social networking service and it’s available to everyone. Built around the idea of a profile, you can connect with former classmates, co-workers, friends, family, etc. It offers many exciting features and truly is the most popular social networking tool at the moment.
Myspace – What is it?
The originator of the social media frenzy, Myspace is the first big player on the block. Very similar to Facebook, Myspace allows users to create a profile on their network, and connect with others via messages, comments, and group communities. While many businesses tend to shy away from Myspace due to its sorted past, it is still a powerful social network, and could be a good place for certain kinds of businesses to network.
So Thats It?
Well…no. There are countless other networks and forums that may or may not be of interest to your business. Some of the key players that take a secondary seat to the top three networks can drive a lot of traffic as well. Some of these other social sites have a lot to offer businesses and can generate a good buzz and brand awareness. Again depending on your business and industry, some or none of these may be worth your time. Take a look through the list and see what appeals to you.
LinkedIn — Professional Connections
Often jokingly referred to as Myspace for grown-ups, LinkedIn is a social network targeted for business professionals. Working along the same lines as Myspace and Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to build a profile that centers around your particular work experiences, future goals, and expertise. As a business, linkedin is also a powerful tool to find new talent.
Squidoo — User Generated Content
Squidoo is an interesting social site. Working on a completely different platform than the above-mentioned, Squidoo allows users to create webpages (called Lenses) about anything they are interested in. This can be a great tool for businesses looking to promote themselves online and get more traffic. There is a bit of a learning curve, and I wouldn’t recommend this for everyone. But if you have a niche industry with a good product, this is a great place to score some relevant traffic.
Digg — Social News
Digg is a social news site which allows users to submit interesting links and stories. Other users can then vote on whether or not they like these links and stories. The act of voting positively for a story is called “dig” and the act of voting negatively is called “bury”. This site is a machine for sending tons of traffic to your website. If your story makes t he front page of Digg, sit back and enjoy the show. But be warned, Digg is a massive site with a lot of users, and it can be brutal. I advise anyone interested in Digg to do a lot of research first.
Final Words of Advice:
It’s awesome you’re ready to take this step. Just remember that it involves a lot of time and effort. Try not to overwhelm yourself. Pick just a few networks to start out with, and start small. Keep your goals in mind in all that you do socially, and you should see your efforts reap a reward. If things don’t work out like you planned, back track and try a different approach. Just remember to keep at it. If all else fails, we here at Customer Magnetism are here to help. Our blog offers many insightful posts to help with social media strategies, and we offer services to take out the heavy lifting. Good luck, and get social!

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