A: Social networking websites encourage their users to interact with their content and with each other in the form of social networks that are built by accumulating friends or followers in a number of ways. The manner in which these sites are used depends largely on the intentions or goals of the user. Some users join social sites to interact with friends and family, some join for professional networking, some join as a method of promoting their brand or product. The precise methods and goals of your social network will be determined by your individual situation, the audience you are trying to reach, and the purpose of your interactions.
A: One of the key principles of social media marketing is creating a "buzz". A buzz can be positive or negative and simply refers to increased online discussion of a specific topic. Obviously, as a business owner, you are concerned with creating a positive buzz and avoiding the negative.
Social media draws attention to topics that other people are interested in, and if these people are a part of your network, by default, you may be interested in them as well. That is the whole concept of social networking and social media marketing in a nutshell. You use social media to connect with people who may be interested in your product, service, or business and you use these connections to create a personal bond between you and potential or current clients.
For businesses, the primary advantages of social media marketing are:
1. It creates a personal connection with your audience.
2. Keeps current and potential clients "on the inside track" with the latest news and special deals.
3. Keeps clients engaged with your brand and establishes your position as an expert in your particular field.
4. Allows you to communicate with clients quickly, using short messages that can be composed, sent, and read with little effort.
A: Although anyone with a website (and even some without) can benefit from social networks, social marketing techniques will prove to be more beneficial for certain types of businesses.
Businesses that are looking for ways to integrate their brand into their customers' daily lives.
Businesses looking to establish their reputation as an expert on a particulat topic or within a specific field.
Businesses with an innovative product or service or one that appeals to a wide audience.
Businesses whose products or services are directly related to social networking or other online activities.
Businesses or organizations looking to deliver timely updates to their clients regarding sales, specials, latest news, or other announcements.
Businesses or organizations looking to increase traffic and exposure for their website.
Anyone looking to achieve quick results in the area of search engine ranking. A Google search for Zandergraphics currently yields: 1. This website 2. Facebook Fan Page 3. Our Twitter Feed 4. Our MySpace Account 5. Our Blogger Blog Account
A: Yes. Absolutely. In fact, we recommend that you do as much of it yourself as you feel comfortable with or have time for. We also understand that, as a business owner, you may not have time to keep up with these things or that your time may be better spent doing what you know best, running your business, and let the experts keep your networking running smoothly.
Even if you plan to manage your social media accounts for yourself, the experts at Zandergraphics are here to help you get your accounts set up correctly, help you define a social marketing strategy, and find the tools to make updating these networks as effortless as it can be.
A: There are a number of reasons why companies hire social media consultants or social media marketing account managers.
As someone who works specifically with social media, a consultant will be aware of many detals and inside information on how to best leverage social networking to your advantage.
Rather than spending the time to figure these sites out for yourself or assigning the job to an employee who is not familiar, a social media marketer can explain the process to you and help you determine the best course of action.
Social Media Account Managers from Zandergraphics can spend as much or as little time on your accounts as they need or as best suits your goals. Professional account managers can work more quickly than the average employee and can promote your business in much more targeted ways.
A: There has been an explosion of social sites over the last few years, but, generally speaking, there are only a handful that are really doing a lot. Chances are, if your clients, customers, or peers are on social networking sites, you have already heard something. Social sites can be divided into two major categories, social networking sites and social bookmarking services.
The most popular social networking sites by far are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace. Facebook's primary focus thus far has been person to person social networking and though they do provide Fan Pages for businesses, other tools are still developing and certain aspects of business Facebooking reamain a little tricky. LinkedIn, on the other hand, focuses almost completely on networking for professionals: interactions between colleagues, clients, employees, and other similar connections. Twitter is perfect for sharing announcements about blog posts, articles, sales and specials, industry news, and similar topics that can be easily expressed in 140 characters or less.
The best practice when trying to cover multiple social networks is to try a few and choose the ones that you are most comfortable with; probably no more than five unless you have a dedicated employee for this purpose. You might have accounts on many networks but only concentrate on a few and there are a number of options available to help update to a number of sites at once. It is a better practice to be very active one a couple of networks than to be less active on more. Remember, you are trying to build name recognition and connections with potential clients. The key to successful social networking is to keep your audience engaged and interested.
A: A Facebook Fan Page is one of the most basic building blocks in creating a social network for your brand. Facebook Fan Pages are probably the most common (and for many, the most effective) method of promoting your business and communicating with your social network.
A: Depending on your business and your goals, this may be a possibility, however, fan pages have serious limitations and do not allow for the kind of control that a traditional website does. Several issues with fan pages that are not a problem for websites are:
Facebook Fan Pages are only visible to people that have Facebook accounts.
Analytics & Tracking - There is no way to track visits to your Facebook page, gather information from them, or to view what pages are the most popular and other valuable pieces of information.
One landing page - Traditional websites are indexed by Google and other search engines on a page by page basis. A Facebook fan page is indexed as one page and there is no way to control how that indexing is done.
Keywords - Website keywords are normally defined specifically for each page and can be adjusted over time to get the best results. Facebook fan pages are defined by the text on the page plus whatever keywords Facebook itself uses, which probably won't help you a whole lot.
Advanced Content and Features - The array of features available for websites is nearly endless. You can install custom contact forms, shopping carts, and other similar features are not available on Facebook.