What do you say in an inaugural post on a new blog? Yeah! We are live.
OK, now that I have that out of my system, I am excited about our new blog and I am looking forward to sharing my discoveries, best practice tips, and of course just things that amuse me. We will cover a wide range of topics under the umbrella of Online Marketing and in particular the evolving practice of Social Media Marketing.
What is Social Media Marketing?
According to Wikipedia …
“Social media marketing is a term that describes the act of using social networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other collaborative Internet form of media for marketing, sales, public relations and customer service. Common social media marketing tools include Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.
In the context of Internet marketing, social media refers to a collective group of web properties whose content is primarily published by users, not direct employees of the property (e.g. the vast majority of video on YouTube is published by non-YouTube employees).”
OK, but what does that really mean? All of these electronic tools are just new ways to accomplish the same old best practices of successful businesses.
- Listen and build relationships.
- Be helpful. Give back to the community.
- Encourage word of mouth advertising.
Facebook is like a personalized collaborative community newspaper that lets you keep up with what is happening in the lives of people you know. It is written by the readers and it is interactive. Comments on what others have posted are immediate and become part of the conversation of the wider community.
Twitter is like the local coffee shop or the office water cooler. It is a place where people pop in and out and exchange brief conversations about what is going on in the world. It is used to solicit opinions and recommendations. It is used share something interesting and tell everyone where to find it. This is often where buzz on any given topic gains momentum.
LinkedIn is more like a professional association. You get to meet people who have similar interests or business backgrounds based on people that you already know and who they know. As with face to face networking opportunities, an introduction or referral from someone you already know is much more valuable than a cold call.
So, going forward we will talk more about these tools and how to get the most out of them. We will also be offering more detailed analysis and coaching in our public seminars. So, if you are in the Ottawa area, fill in this contact request form and we will let you know when the next seminar is scheduled.
Online Marketing is an evolving business and that makes it exciting.
