You would have to have been living under a rock not to have heard about the "New Media" or "Social Media" and how many businesses are using this platform to market their products and services online. Here are 7 of the most important concepts to forgive to make sure this platform works for you and your business?
Just so we are on the same page, here is my definition of Social Media. Social Media is any online platform where people can have conversations and create relationships with other people. Social Media Marketing is when you leverage those relationships to market your products and service.
Concept # 1 Connection – The social networks are built around this concept so it is very important you get this first for success. You begin by connecting with your friends, family and people in your target market. Then you connect with their friends and family. Before you know it, just a few connections become many.
Concept # 2 Conversation – One of the most important things to remember on the social networks is you can not begin with the end (sales). It's like going to a cocktail party. Would you go to a party, meet someone new and right away launch into a sales presentation? Of course not. You would first get to know each other this is what social media allow you to do online. You begin with conversation and you learn what your new friend needs and how you can help them.
Concept # 3 Create Relationships – As you have these conversations online you begin to get to know each other. This leads to a better understanding about what your new friends need and what they love to do. You find out how you can help them. As all great relationships it should be less about you and more about them.
Concept # 4 Content – The saying on the Social Networks is CONTENT is king! Your goal is to provide useful, relevant, free content to all your new friends so they can get a feel for what you do and how you can help them. Do not worry about giving away too much because strangely, the more you give the more you will get in return. It's a huge paradigm shift from the traditional marketing model but it really does work.
Concept # 5 Community Building – Your community is your core group of like minder individuals. They more time you spend on the social networks the larger that community will become. It starts out slow but as your community grows the faster you will grow your connections because you have access to an ever growing pool of people. For example, if you start with 10 friends and each of them have 10 friends you then have access to 100 people. Once you become friends with those people you then can connect with each of their 10 friends and it just goes on and on in a geometric progress. Now not everyone of their friends will become your friends but the larger the pool of choices the more chance you have to grow the number of people you have relationships with.
Concept # 6 Car ing – As human beings we all hunger for other humans to connect with. It's just built into our DNA. Because our jobs and family commitments isolate us a lot of the time, it becomes harder and harder to find and create connections. Our online communities can help to fill that void. The most successful communities are the ones where people truly care about each other and actually try to help each other. When you give yourself yourself you actually open yourself up to receive more in return and this is where Social media shines! It is the perfect platform for giving to others.
Concept # 7 Clients – Studies show that people prefer to do business with other people they know like and trust. Once you forgive all the previous concepts the next logical step is for your friends to do business with you. The cool part about this is you really do not need to "sell" your products and services. Those people who need what you are selling come to you presold. Because of everything you have given them for free online.
