Ever since the first blog went live, PR pros have been trying to figure out how to capitalize on the medium on behalf of clients. And while social media is in many ways no longer an experiment, determining its actual value largely still is.
There are lots of great social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and others. Some have a decidedly more business-oriented focus like LinkedIn, but basically they all purport to bring like minded people together in the name of establishing valuable relationships.
Although it took some time from the emergence of MySpace and other networks for businesses to pay close attention to the trend, soon companies started trying to figure out is what value should be placed on the trend as a whole and which networks should receive priority in their marketing efforts. Once that happened, PR agencies started opening new media practices and there were also a host of social media evangelists that hit the Web espousing their value. And while some of them have certainly proven popular, the jury’s still out as to whether social media is a trend that’s worth a significant investment of a business’ time and/or money.
Earlier this week, in a report titled Exploring the Link Between Customer Care and Brand Reputation in the Age of Social Media, the Society for New Communications Research examined how consumers are using social networks and which ones they value. While 74 percent of respondents say they choose companies and brands based on the experiences shared online by customers, most still indicated they used conventional search engines for their research rather than social media networks. In fact, several leading social networks scored poorly when it comes to consumer influence, with only 39 percent saying they used micro-blogging sites like Twitter or Pownce; 27 percent used YouTube and 22 percent turned to Facebook and MySpace.
Not surprisingly, technology and e-commerce companies tended to dominate the online discussion landscape, with Dell Computer Corp. and Amazon. com Inc. taking top honors as the companies most often discussed by consumers online. That said, those who do turn to social media networks are a desirable demographic, with an average net income of more than $100,000; most are college educated and range from 25-55 years old.
As with all things new, especially those involving technology, there’s been a rush to adopt social media networks. One of the problems, however, is the fact that the social media sector is still quite decentralized, with several companies trying to jockey for the lead spots in the marketplace. This makes it especially hard for companies to know which investments will generate reliable returns. Historically, in the early phases of a new trend’s emergence, this factor hasn’t mattered very much; however, the fact that little attention has been paid to a return on investment has meant that technology-related trends have experienced harsher than normal boom and bust cycles.
I was in a discussion earlier today with a group of legal marketing executives and a consultant who helps law firms set up their own blogs. The discussion originally started when an executive asked others whether they used Twitter, and if so, how? That spawned a lengthy conversation as to whether social media is judged in the same vein as other marketing activities and, if so, how a return-on-investment can be reasonably calculated. Even though the cost to set up a social media presence may be minimal, there should still be goals set and those should ideally be linked to a positive impact on a company’s bottom line; after all, no matter what business you’re in, time really does equal money.
The blogging consultant was of the mind that people responsible for bringing in business do the best when they’re engaging in activities they truly enjoy under the theory that the use of these mediums mean a firm has the opportunity to reach potential customers that their competitors, who aren’t embracing the platforms, are missing. That’s certainly theoretically possible, although I suspect it will be some time before we really know for sure.
In the meantime, I still encourage companies – especially small and mid-size firms with limited PR and/or marketing budgets – to continue mining opportunities within conventional media channels. Those channels may not be as “sexy” as social media, but they still deliver an audience of many potential customers with desirable demographics.
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Determining Social Media’s Value Can be a Difficult Proposition
January 12th, 2010Posted in Articles
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How to Use Social Media to Make Make Money
January 10th, 2010Do you know what social media marketing is and to go about making money with social media?
First of all before you can make money at something you need to know what it is. Once you are educated on the subject then you can start to make money.
So what is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is promoting and trying to sell your product on social networking sites. For example a couple of different social networking sites would be Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube, just to name a few.
Some other forms of social media are blogging and forums. With blogging you can write about your products and reach thousands of people. I would suggest this blogging blueprint for making money if you want to get serious about it.
On forums you can have links to your website abd tell others about your products. You can also talk to people and create relationships with them by answering their questions on your products. You can find forums relating to the theme of your business at Big-Boards which is the largest message board and forum site on the web today.
So how do you use social media to make money?
By having links to your website on many different kinds of social media websites then you can potentially increase traffic to your website resulting in many more customers which will result in many more sales.
If you are doing this for internet business reasons it can lead to you making money.
With so many different forms of marketing on the Internet, making money with social media is an easy and fast way to get in front of potential customers. There is no reason you could not start a new blog and be getting 500 visitors a day in less than 2 months if you work at it.
To find out more about making money with social media you need to further your research and decide which social media sites are best for you and the customers that you are trying to reach.
You can find many websites online that offer excellent training on social media including ebooks, and blogs specificially about it.
To make money with social media you have to work hard at it all of the time, just like any other form of internet marketing. If you are willing to do this you can start and run any business you want online and use socail media to promote it.
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56 Social Media Websites Every Business Needs To Be On
January 3rd, 2010These websites help your company network, advertise, learn, grow, recruit, make new clients and more. We get loads of hits everyday from our social media optimisation strategy and websites. These hits convert into work, valuable feedback, networking, sources of fresh marketing communications information and much more. (Please Note: If we’ve missed your favorite social media site or you know of others worth mentioning, we appreciate you letting us know, so we can add it to this list. ) If your business limits its online presence to blogging, posting articles on article websites, advertising banners and search engine marketing it’s missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging onto social media sites like LinkedIn, Digg, Facebook, Twitter and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners, employees, likeminded peers and friends. With a little bit of copywriting and some ongoing maintanence you can reap the rewards for our diligence. linking people to your business website : christophercopywriter. com blog: christopher copywriter’s blog Social Media/Social Bookmarking Sites. Share your favorite Websites and newsworthy articles with your business partners. They can comment and upload their own favorite articles and Websites. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company’s Web site. It also helps with your Websites rankings. 1. StumbleUpon: Open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and “channel surfing” the Web. You’ll connect with friends and share your new Website discoveries,” as well as “meet people who have similar interests. ” Fun. Fun. Fun. 2. Reddit: Upload stories and articles on Reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. Submit items often so that you’ll gain a more loyal following and increase your online presence. 3. Del. icio. us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del. icio. us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking. 4. Digg: Digg has a massive following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more. 5. Technorati: If you want to increase your blog’s readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Entertainment, Business and Technology. 6. Myspace: MySpace is a place for friends, for personal expression, for connecting with the world. You can alert all your friends at once with any length of blog entry. Now very popular for businesses too. 7. Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone. 8. Squidoo: According to Squidoo, “everyone’s an expert on something. Share your knowledge!” Share your industry’s secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members. 9. Furl: Make Furl “your personal Web file” by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features. 10. Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services. 11. WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company’s services with the public for free. 12. YouTube: From subjects like, “How to dribble a basketball,” to naughty party boy “Corey Delainey,” everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company’s latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day and how you like to do it. 13. Ma. gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma. gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized. 14. Propeller: A fun source of information on pretty much everything. Add your articles. Promote and demote others articles. 15. Kirsty: A colourful website for articles, features and information on life, the universe and everything. 16. Urlesque: A internet themed, video clip, article posting and sharing website. 17. Netvouz: Netvouz is a social bookmarking service that allows you to save your favorite links online and access them from any computer, wherever you are. Professional Social Networking Sites. Join these online networking communities as a company or individual and take full advantage of recruiting and client opportunities, cross-promotional events, the chance to help out and more. 18. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online. 19. Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site. 20. MEETin. org: Once you’ve acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin. org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face. 21. YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates. 22. Xing: An account with networking site Xing can “open doors to thousands of companies. ” Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to “find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels. ” 23. Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on “connecting business people” through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits. 24. Care2: Care2 isn’t just a networking community for professionals: It’s touted as “the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference. ” If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site. 25. Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want. 26. Ryze: Ryze lets members organize contacts and friends; upcoming events; and even job, real-estate and roommate classifieds. 27. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more. 28. Ziggs: Ziggs is “organizing and connecting people in a professional way. ” Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company’s presence online and further your own personal career. 29. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon. com, del. icio. us and more. 30. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla. , create an account with the networking site NetParty. You’ll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more. 31. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts. 32. Naymz: A search engine optimised professional networking site which ranks out of ten, ones professional reputation amongst reviews from ones peers and those who know you. Niche Social Media Sites. Consider linking up with one of these Social Media Websites to narrow down your business’s target audience. You’ll find other professionals, enthusiasts and consumers who are most likely already interested in what your company has to offer. 33. SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community. 34. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2. 0, email and online-marketing issues. 35. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being “your link to the Web content that really matters. ” Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You’ll also meet others with similar interests. 36. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online. 37. Sphinn:Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts. 38. BuzzFlash. net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health. 39. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals. 40. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy. General Social Media Sites. The following social media Websites provide excellent opportunities for businesses to advertise; promote specials, events or services; and tend to feature published and knowledgeable employees. 41. Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia, you can connect with other users on Wikipedia’s Community Portal and at the village pump, where you’ll find conscientious professionals enthusiastic about news, business, research and more. Get creative. 42. Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community. 43. 43 Things: This site bills itself as “the world’s most popular online goal setting community. ” By publicizing your company’s goals and ambitions, you’ll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success. 44. Wetpaint: If you’re tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company’s presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business. 45. Frappr: Embed a Frappr map and guestbook into your company’s Web page so that you can pinpoint exactly how users find your site, discover in real-time what they have to say about your company profile and services, and create an “interactive, fun and engaging” spot for visitors. 46. Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users’ questions with this social-media Q&A service. Search for questions in your particular areas of expertise by clicking categories like Business & Finance, Health, News & Events and more. If you continue to dole out useful advice and link your answer to your company’s Web page, you’ll quickly gain a new following of curious customers. Job Sites. If you want to secure high-quality talent during your company’s next hiring spree, you’ll need to maintain a strong presence on popular job sites like the ones we’ve listed below. 47. Mycareer: A popular source of jobs for the job hunter in Australia. Owned by Fairfax media who bring us the Sydney Morning Herald everyday. Post your CV for recruiters to find. Get detailed personality type information. 48. SEEK: Australia’s #1 recruitment, career and employment site. It has special sections for 100k plus executives and offers helpful tools and job hunting sector statistics. 49. CollegeRecruiter. com: If your firm wants to hire promising entry-level employees, check CollegeRecuriter. com for candidates with college degrees. 50. Monster: Post often to separate your business from all the other big companies that use this site to advertise job openings. 51. Sologig: Top freelancers and contractors post résumés and look for work on this popular site. 52. AllFreelance. com: This site “offers self-employed small business owners links to freelance & work at home job boards, self-promotion tips” and more. 53. Freelance Switch Job Listings: Freelance Switch is the freelancer’s online mecca and boasts articles, resource toolboxes, valuable tips and a job board. 54. GoFreelance: Employers looking to boost their vendor base should check GoFreelance for professionals in the writing, design, editing and Web industries. 55. CareerBuilder. com: Reach millions of candidates by posting jobs on this must-visit site. 56. Career Journal: The Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal attracts well-educated professionals who are at the top of their game. Post a job or search résumés here. linking people to your business blog: christopher copywriter’s blog
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