Marketing Hamilton: What Every Hamilton Business Owner Ought To Know About Social Media Marketing

Marketing Hamilton presents the benefits of social media marketing – as discovered by researching internet marketers.

Social media marketing is not new. Far from it. It has been around since the beginning of time. The web has simply expanded how rapidly information can be spread and distributed.

The sheer power of social media as a marketing tool can’t be ignored. Social Media has changed (and will continue to change) how people research information, interact with each other, communicate and how business will need to market to their intended audience.

The ability to produce and share information with their business and social network, respond to and with the writer and each other fosters online communities.

While social media is about commenting and collaborating it is such a new phenomenon that it is easy for someone to claim to be an expert in a subject – any subject and this raises some concerns. But, none the less… the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, ice cream cones taste best on a hot summers day and the internet is the preferred communication channel for social and business interactions.

The benefits of social media are just now starting to become understood as to how valuable a marketing tool they are, and these benefits will continue to grow.

Many believe that driving traffic back to their site will instantly turn into sales but this just isn’t so. Simply having a Facebook page, Twitter account, blog or LinkedIn profile is not a marketing strategy. They simply provide a means to market interactively. Social media is one to one, one to many, people-to-people communication and is the new conduit through which society and business operates. Of itself, it is neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’. It is what it is: It is a new tool that will be embraced by business; Or those businesses that don’t embrace it will disappear.

According to many marketers, the benefits of Social Media Marketing Include:

– increased business exposure

– increased traffic

– new business partnerships

– improved search engine rankings

– increased lead generation

To use social media to research your competitors and to learn what works and what doesn’t work is a smart marketing strategy. You want to be tuned into what is being said through social media.

It’s important to remember that social media doesn’t sell. You sell.Social media brings you an audience that learns who you are and what you do. Think of them as new neighbors. You need to get to know each other and over time get to know what each other does. If you like each other you may end up doing business with each other.

Social media as a marketing tool must demonstrate value. It starts the relationship-building process. Constant interaction and engagement builds familiarity and trust.

You must make a commitment to providing value and must be consistent in your communication. When you do this you will be far ahead of the game and will be way ahead of most businesses trying to use social media just to sell.