Social media marketing is a proven strategy that many businesses and brands rely on to drive sales and raise awareness for their products and services, and to better serve their customers. Since it is still relatively new in the grand scheme of business marketing, and since there is such a low barrier to entry, it does lend itself to being seen as the “be all end all” of online marketing.
In reality, no business or brand should rely solely on social media marketing to grow or promote their business. It doesn’t matter if you have a home-based business, are a service provider, or have a physical location – successful internet marketing comes from a variety of different strategies, such as the following
SEO – Search engine optimization (or SEO) is a strategy that involves optimizing your website to become attractive to search engines, which places your site higher in search results for specific keywords. Common strategies include researching keywords to see the amount of times they are searched on google, adding these high-traffic keywords to your site description and meta tags, and including variations of the keyword for additional traffic. Another powerful SEO strategy is called backlinking, where you seek to get links to your site placed on other popular sites and directories.
It is important to note that the SEO world is constantly changing to keep up with updates and modifications to search engines, such as Google’s recent Penguin update.
Email list building – When a visitor comes to your site, there is a very strong likelihood that they will not be back, despite how good your content is. A great strategy to directly reach people interested in your products and services is to offer an “ethical bribe” such as a free report, white paper, or consultation in exchange for them signing up for your email list. Going forward, you can send targeted emails, special offers, or even an automated series of emails that repeats for each new signup.
There are dozens of low-cost email service providers designed to help marketers create, build, and market to a list, and have full support and tutorials to help get started. Some recommended providers are Aweber, Mailchimp, and Constant Contact.
Partnerships – One of the most powerful business strategies you can adopt is to stop viewing other people in your market as competition, and see them as potential partners. The benefits of this are astronomical – you can get exposure to a new audience, collaborate on a project, or even find someone who wants to buy you out! All it takes is a good attitude, and a willingness to play a part in a bigger picture, and you can reach out to anyone and get a response.
Multimedia – While closely related to traditional social media, a multimedia strategy is a powerful way to connect with customers beyond status updates and friend requests. With podcasting networks such as BlogTalkRadio, you can create and host your own radio show, and position yourself as an expert on nearly any topic. Combine this with working with partners who are also in your niche, and you’ll see how effective it can be when you have a fellow expert who is looking to reach similar goals!
Chris Warden is a seasoned entrepreneur and CEO. Starting his entrepreneurial career at age 19, he has performed in numerous capacities owning and managing both offline and online companies. Chris now serves as CEO of Spread Effect, a leading content marketing and publishing company. He is a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and often writes on topics of content marketing, SEO, and business development. He’s passionate about building and mentoring world-class teams and loves to chat with like-minded individuals. You can connect with Chris via Linkedin, Twitter - @ChrisWarden_SE, or Google+.
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Thanks for these IM tips! These are the basics! Good to do brainstorm once again.