What is Social Media Marketing?

Social Media Marketing has its roots in an age-old business concept: the power of listening.The Internet, with its stranger-to-stranger connections, may seem like the last possible place where real listening can occur.However, a company that listens to its customers can eventually capitalize on real relationships and reliable business ven on the Internet.Thats where social media marketing steps in.Lets take a deeper look at the marketing phenomena currently revolutionizing the way people do business on the Internet and all over the world.First, a Few Facts about Social Media An ancient proverb says theres nothing new under the sun and this is certainly true for social media.Audio blogging and podcasting both have origins in the activities of early hackers who borrowed unused corporate voicemail lines to leave messages and codes for others in their hacking network in the 60s.By 1980, it was possible to chat or exchange messages online with those within their business and personal networks for the hefty price of about $30/hr.These and other pioneering social media venues paved the way for todays modern social media platforms.Top Platforms for Modern Social Media Marketing It would be pretty difficult to list all the social media platforms out there in one article near impossible in one sitting.There are dozens.Generally speaking, social media platforms consist of a few basic online forms of communication: written, audio and video blogs, social networking sites (such as Facebook), social bookmarking sites (like Delicious), as well as Email Marketing and online subscription services.Beginners usually get their feet wet with Twitter and perhaps a Facebook business page, while the pros are currently looking closely at social bookmarking sites as the next big thing.Communicative Content Worth Sharing Use of strategic combinations of these social media platforms gives companies the opportunity to make a lasting impression one that has the potential to go viral and bring in a considerable amount of new business.That said, two very important elements of social media marketing should never be overlooked or underestimated.The first is valuable content.Valuable content means posts, submissions and Web Design that reflect the company is listening and in tune with its customers.The second, sharability, means creating content worth customers time and action.Engaging in Ongoing Conversation So then, of course, it makes sense that if the goal is to fill blog posts and Tweets with powerful and appealing information, a company must be listening to what the customers have to say to begin with.This means that companies must become a part of its targets conversations, responding to comments and feedback, asking questions to field interest and decipher desires.These simple practices lay at the heart of the best social media campaigns, and separate the mediocre from the elite when it comes to capitalizing on social media marketing efforts.Opportunity for Unique Customer Contribution Yet another characteristic of social media marketing is its ability to thrive on customer participation.Older forms of marketing outreach are much less capable of, say, polling customers to determine the colors for a new clothing line.These benefits rest on the premise that customers who are actually brought into a companys decision-making process will be more likely to speak highly of that company to friends, co-workers or relatives and will do so often.Most importantlyArticle Search, the will be probably also be more likely to complete a sale.