Social Media Marketing: Tools and Pitfalls

Social media marketing is a relatively new field in online commerce. Essentially, it is the use of social sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in order to attract attention and build brand recognition for your company or service. By interacting with potential customers through these sites, you can establish a relationship that can lead to increased business for your company and improved loyalty to your brand name. Depending on the products or services being promoted, your company can even engage in a dialogue with consumers regarding new product ideas, concerns, questions, or comments; this enhances your company’s reputation for responsive customer service and allows you to connect on a personal level with your clients.

Blogging offers companies a more controlled way of interacting with current and prospective customers. If you choose this method, it’s vital to keep your blog updated on a regular basis. Outdated blog entries can create the mistaken impression that your company is no longer in business; ideally, your blog should be updated at least biweekly. Monitor your comments carefully and respond in a prompt fashion. Allowing spam comments to clutter up your blog entries will discourage readers and presents a disorganized appearance; for best results, comments should be reviewed weekly and responded to or deleted as appropriate.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube offer the least control over the public discussion of your company. If your product or service is controversial, this lack of control may create undesirable commentary about your business. However, the exposure and potential buzz that these sites can create may make them a worthwhile risk, especially if your company is relatively new to the market. For example, if you post a clever or unusual video to YouTube about your company, it has the potential to be viewed by millions of people across the country and around the world, gaining more exposure for your company than traditional advertising methods can produce at far less cost.

Social media marketing can provide your company with much-needed exposure, but that exposure comes with attendant risks. It’s vital that you monitor and control your corporate image and take steps to correct any misinformation or negative public response in order to get the most out of these versatile online marketing tools.

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