These days there are more community-focused websites than ever before, with new ones being created every day. But before going headlong into a social media marketing experiment, there are tactics to grasp first to determine just how to approach the multitude of social media services.
The the SES panel on Successful Tactics for Social Media, brought insightful how-tos and tips from the experience of social media marketers. First up in the discussion was Digital Marketing & Convergence Media Consultant Kendall Allen. Her take on social media is that it enables a cross-platform approach to marketing online. No longer are marketers limited to the confines of the SERPs, PPC, or banners – there’s now an opportunity to communicate with current and potential customers much more dynamically within social media.
With this new online marketing outlet, SMM Liana Evans from Key Relevance also understands that there are incredible challenges. The blogosphere and social media now foster communities that truly control brands. If a brand has done something less than popular, bloggers and social media users now can exploit and promote that negative news. But needless to say, if the brand’s actions are positive, that same discussion can also help your brand, boost awareness of your brand, and in the end generate traffic, sales, and even links to your website.
Some marketers will assert that social media’s real benefit is simply inbound links, which is the lifeblood of SEO. However, many marketers diving into social media on a whim will find that it’s much more complicated that it may appear. If you’re after nothing but links, and don’t genuinely contribute to the community and the breadth of users within the community, you will likely be identified as a marketer and will end up doing more harm to your company or brand than good.
If there’s one thing to learn about social media marketing, it’s that social media requires time and effort, not to mention the need for having quality content to promote in the community.
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