How to use Social Media | What is Social Media Marketing
Social media is an online tool that is generating a lot of attention from both consumers and business owners. With the countless new social tools and innovations to existing social channels, business owners especially are wondering how to use social media.
Social media is the use of Internet based applications to connect and share user-generated content. They are many examples of social media sites; some of the most popular include:
- Twitter – a conversation based network;
- LinkedIn – a business based network which fosters business relationships;
- Facebook which is based on the concept of a community of friends sharing information;
- and YouTube where users share video clips.
What is Social Media Marketing?
If that is the definition of social media, then what is social media marketing? This concept refers to the use of social media for business use rather than purely for social reasons.
Using social media is different for every organization and it needs to be considered as part of the overall marketing strategy and objectives. In other words, an organization first needs to determine what they would like to achieve and then whether the social media channel can meet those objectives. For example, if a company would like to improve customer service then social media can be considered as a channel, provided that their customers make use of social media channels.
Certain social media channels can also be used for informational purposes. Business owners, for example, can utilize a company blog in which they push valuable information to their customer base in order to educate and establish a credible reputation.
Managing Social Media Resources
Many companies would like to enter the social arena, but do not realize the time or resources involved in using social media for business. A common mistake is to open a business social media account without a person dedicated to regular engagement on that social channel.
About the Author : Google
A serial entrepreneur with extensive background in franchising and interests in multiple online business channels, Jamshaid (Jam) Hashmi has played an instrumental role in the franchise development and success of a renowned international franchise company. His most recent entrepreneurial interests include launching ClickTecs, a Digital Marketing company specializing in Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing as well as Website and Mobile Application development. In 2007 he co-founded WSI Search Result, an online marketing company that supplies services to Internet Marketing Consultants. A sought after public speaker, Jam has been the featured keynote at many franchise conferences and international summits. He regularly trains ‘C’ Level Executives and supports both new and seasoned business owners on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization, Mobile Marketing, Brand Reputation Management and Conversion & Measurement through web analytics. When he’s not scaling the heights of the Internet world, Jam ‘unwinds’ on extreme thrill-seeking adventures from the jungles of the Amazon to the highest summits. His passions include working with NGOs on humanitarian missions to areas around the world affected by disasters and poverty.
