WSI Blog - Internet Marketing Tips and Strategies

There is a lot of information floating around about social media. Some people rave about how great social media is while others believe it's a total waste of time. Below is a list of common misconceptions that businesses often have about utilizing social media.

"Sites Like Twitter And Facebook Are For Kids"
Fear: Business owners have trouble understanding that it could be possible that the same site that kids use to socialize with friends could also be utilized to connect a business with it's target audience.
Fact: Yes, there are a lot of teens and college students on social networking sites. However the fastest growing demographic has been those 35 and up. In fact internet users age 35-54 make up 40.6% of MySpace visitors. Social media is a great way for organizations to reach out and connect with their audience to grow business.

"Building Online Relationships Is A Waste of Time"
Fear: There is no reason to network with people you will never meet. It will not drive my business.
Fact: Social media is a medium in which you can network with your target audience, clients and customers. There is no such thing as time wasted when you are networking with your target audience. Not all of your contacts will become customers but they can still provide feedback on services and products plus you can keep them informed about what is happening in your organization.

"You Cannot Measure Social Media"
Fear: It will be impossible to measure ROI on social media.
Fact: Social media is internet based which automatically makes it measurable. You can look at the number of fans that increased over time, the number of comments posted on your channel, the number of discussion threads on your forum, or the number of ratings your video received. These performance indicators can be measured to determine campaign success.

"Social Media Is Free"
Fear: I can easily create my own Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn page. Why is it being suggested that I need to pay money to implement these campaigns.
Fact: A lot of the technology is free but simply creating an account on Facebook is not a social media campaign. You need to ask yourself:
~How do I increase the number of fans I have on my Facebook page?
~How do I get users to subscribe to my YouTube channel?
~How do I get people to retweet my message to their followers on Twitter?
~How do I get users to subscribe to my blog?
You need the campaign, creative and the drive to get your social media plan working for you.

"This Is Something I Can Probably Do In-House"
Fear: We have employees who are using social media. Why not use them to grow our business online?
Fact: Most employees are probably using social media for personal reasons, connecting with friends, sharing photos etc. When leveraging and monetizing social media for business it's an entirely different ball game. For creativity, campaign ideas and experience the key is to find an expert in this field to put your plan into place.

With these common misconceptions explained you can click here :
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Social Chatter: Online Brand Reputation Monitoring & Management

WSI IMC Gary Levine
Monday, November 30, 2009 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Gary Levine, WSI Internet marketing consultant and expert on monitoring online branding will share his insights with business owners and marketing professionals on how companies should be listening to online chatter and conversation about their brand, product or service. In today's social media rich world how can companies leverage various tools and free services to moderate the online conversations? Find out at this webinar.

REGISTER NOW!

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Leveraging Social Media to Enhance Your Marketing Strategies

WSI Social Media Expert Baltej Gill
Wednesday, October 28 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

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The short answer - yes and no. Most of the population have come a long way from learning how to send an email a couple of decades ago to updating our Facebook status and "tweeting" on a daily (sometimes hourly?!) basis. But is there a practical use for business in the hyperconnectivity of today's social networking sites? The answer, again, is yes and no.

Email and email marketing are still effective ways to communicate for many businesses, and offer an opportunity to stay in touch with your clients in a cheaper and easier way than traditional snail mail campaigns. And for many of our clients, email is still going to be an integral part of the internet marketing mix. That said, there is a tremendous opportunity to also connect with your existing and potential clients through these other social media channels.

For example, I was shopping in a local toy store this weekend and the shop owner reminded me they were having a fall sale beginning the following week. She was having a hard time locating a coupon for the upcoming sale during a particularly busy sales rush, then remembered "I'm planning on putting it up on Facebook tomorrow, are you a fan?" I was not a fan, but now I am and I have received the coupon information and plan on visiting the store during their upcoming sale. This is a great example of how retail is a great fit for social media and why. We have also found that certain service industries like spas and hair salons can create fun and engaging social media campaigns. There are also a select few clients for whom these tactics just aren't a great fit.

I'm not sure that email will ever become obsolete, especially as the method of preferred communication in the workplace and for the remaining few who like to be somewhat disconnected when they aren't in the workplace. An article in today's online edition of the Wall Street Journal has some interesting points, though, about where email and online communication in general may be headed. Our recommendation, as usual, is that you should never become too dependent on any one form of internet marketing. The best return on your investment comes when you work with WSI on a dynamic integrated internem marketing strategy that constantly evolves with new technology. And for now, for most of you, that still includes email.

More and more companies are creating corporate profiles on social websites as part of their internet marketing strategy. But according to a recent article from eMarketer, many executives are proceeding with caution. While social media is a valuable tool to enhance customer relationships and build their brand, the following are serious concerns -

1.) Fear of the unknown - If you don't really understand social websites, it is better to skip social media networking until you do or get professional help with your social web strategy. While not having a Facebook page may put you behind your competition, having a Facebook page that is not constantly monitored and updated may be worse. We also caution clients against having a junior staff member set up company profiles on social media sites as one-off projects. Social media is an ongoing marketing strategy, and requires constant updating and attention - from your staff or ours.

2.) Confidentiality/security issues - Some businesses are more confidential in nature than others. If client confidentiality is a major building block of your business, social media may not be the right fit for you. However, there are plenty of ways to engage your customers using "opt-in" techniques that will protect their privacy.

3.) Concerns over employee productivity - Many companies have social websites blocked because they don't want their employees using company time for personal social networking. It is possible to have a social media strategy without giving every employee carte blanche to use social websites on company time.

WSI knows that there are risks to entering your business into the social web, but the benefits outweigh the risks for most of our clients. It is important to come up with a dedicated social media strategy in order to help avoid social media pitfalls. WSI specializes in social media marketing and can guide your business to the right social websites that will maximize your internet marketing return while promoting and protecting your brand.