What is Social Media?

Wikipedia definition:

"Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures."

Social Media is a lot more than just images and avatars.  The above definition is quite vague.  This article will explore the various parts of social media so that you have a better understanding of it, and how to use it in your marketing efforts.  Social media is, by far, much more effective than traditional marketing.  It is a brave new world.  One where "pushing" things at people is no longer tolerated.  Social Media has arrived to solve this problem.

Social Media by its very nature is social.  The best way to understand it is to think of regular networking.  A vendor puts on an event of some sort, invites contacts to it, and, once they are in a room with nibbles, coffee and maybe a drink, they start talking.  Synergies begin to happen, and, viola.  Business is created.  Word of mouth.

Social media is no different, except it is not bound by time or location, and it's reach can extend into the thousands, if not more.  These can be done using various online services, such as social networks, blogs, forums.

But, before you go off and start creating profiles, and just hoping that people will come to you in droves, there are a few things you must remember.

• Keep it Real: Real people want to deal with real people.  They are tired of people being fake with them, and having an agenda.  They want to share real feelings and have real conversations.  Bottom line.  People are just downright over ads!  You need to interact with people.  Talk about your kids, your aspirations, what you like and dislike.  It is about meeting people.  Once you establish a relationship with them, you might become friends.  But moreover, you are real.  You can tell them about your business when the opportunity arises.  Yes, this might take a bit longer, but is much more effective over time due to word of mouth.  Don't think of the people you meet online as merely prospects or leads.  You might as well put a number in their hand and tell them to get in line.  Is that how you would like to be treated?
• Add Value: Interacting with people is alot more than just having a conversation with them.  It is about adding value to them.  It is about giving something, whether it be advice, a contact for a service, or whatever else.  Being helpful with someone you are talking to will keep them coming back.  No one wants to talk to someone who only talks about themselves.  Give them something of value to them in your conversations.  To do this, you will need to ask them questions, get their advice find out who they are.   Then and only then will you be in a position of knowing if your products or services can help them.
• Interact with people: Interacting with people means a lot more than just sending out what you are selling.  It is about asking them questions, getting to know them, and asking for their advice.  This builds trust, and relationships, and after a short time they will want to hear about what you are selling.  There is no point in selling something to someone who really doesn't want what you have to offer.  Find this out!

Types of Social Media Sites

There are three types of Social Media sites.  These are broad categories that can be viewed to see the differences between them.  These do overlap.

1. Publishing Content
2. Sharing Content
3. Networking

Publishing Content

These sites are sites that allow you to upload your content to their site for others to view.  There are a lot of sites that allow this, however the mainstream ones are Flickr, Youtube, Wikipedia, Squidoo, Vimeo, ustream, among many many others.  These are sites where you can upload your content to them for their members to see.  Some of these sites also act as distribution channels for other sites to a broader audience through other services.

Sharing Content

This type of Social Media site allows members to share content they have seen on publishing sites.  The content that is added to these sites is usually a comment/description of an item in one of the publishing sites, and allows a ranking/rating.  The more people that upload this and rate it highly, the more popular this content becomes.  Examples of these are Delicious, Digg, Stumbleupon, Slashdot, Propeller, Newsvine, Fark, Reddit, among many others.

Here are some tips for using social media sharing sites:

1. Monitor what is being said about you/your site - Google Alerts/Google Blogsearch is good for this
2. Find out where your target audience hangs out
3. Promote your content and other people's content that is relevant - Good reviews of you/your site are very good things to share
4. Produce content your audience loves - the higher quality the content and relevant to your audience, the more popular it will be.

Here is a list of sites, and their audience.

Networking

Networking sites are social sites where likeminded people go to connect with other like minded people.  This can range from everything from personal connections through to business connections, and can be private or public.  Some examples of networking sites are Facebook, Linkedin, Gather, Myspace, Bebo, Friendster, Hi5, Ning, and many more.  Keeping it real, and interacting with your connections are how you will build trust and relationships.  When setting up your profile, make sure that you put your links to your sites, and be helpful.  Don't be promotional with these networks, but keep it social.  Talk about who you are, and your story.  Share interesting content with your connections and add value.

Measuring Results

It is not enough to just promote yourself or your products and services.  If you don't know what is effective, you may be wasting your time using particular services.  Monitoring is very important in measuring your results.  By understanding how many people are talking about your content, and what they are saying, gives you instant feedback on what works and what doesn't.  You can also measure the popularity of your content.

Need Help?

If you need any help in understanding your business, or setting it up for an online presence, let us know. We have a range of services here at DiggiYoda to help and are happy to do so. Contact us today!