Marketing through Social Networks

[AlkHolic!©]

Social Networking is a huge part of your average persons life, just about everyone has a Facebook or Twitter account and if not, then they will have MySpace or Bebo.

The question here is this, Can these formidable platforms aid you in the promoting of your forums or websites? the short answer is in my opinion is NO!

You can make a dramatic difference to your website traffic by simply posting links on these social giants, BUT are you going to get quality content back from it, that is where our opinions may change.
I personally do not agree that you will receive much back from Social Networking other than simple traffic, your average Facebook user for example, wants to click "Like" rather than post an opinion and your Twitter, the tweeters prefer to click "ReTweet".

So i guess we have to use these networking sites to simply create awareness and gain traffic to and from your website in the vain hope that registering members will come to realise the potential in the group and continue to "spread the word" about your seemingly thriving website.

If you are going to use Social Networking as a form of advertising for your forum, blog or website, then there are a few tips, that may help you get the best from these giants.

Successful marketing on social networks requires more of a focus on the human element since its more about building relationships then it is your technical knowledge.

Exercise Patience

Take off your selling shoes and pull up a chair so you can get to know people. Building relationships is an absolute must to even get notice on any social sites and as you know this takes time. Even if you are only social networking for business time must first be taken to develop some type of bond with others or you will be invisible to them and useless to your business!

Establish Credibility

The bonds you do develop need to be meaningful insofar as maintaining a knowledgeable, professional and always helpful profile. For any marketing attempts to be successful people must first have some confidence that you know what you are talking about and that your intentions are good and not all business. Your best results will come ONLY after you have taken the time to develop this good reputation with others.

Develop Trust

The most important 'component' of the reputation you develop is trust! As touched upon above your reputation must be a positive one that reflects credibility but building trust is just as, if not more important. If people can not trust in you then any efforts you put into social networking for business will be wasted. People can not be expected to part with their hard earned money if they lack faith in you so obviously building trust is a priority. The best way to achieve this trust is to make a habit of being helpful or freely offering any type of information that may be of use or interest to others. Do so without any expectations of receiving anything in return and people will quickly regard you in a trustworthy manner. Besides, it feels good to be helpful to other!

There is no need for technical skills when marketing on social networks just simply be willing to pull up a chair and stay for a while. Tapping into the viral potential of these communities will require building relationships with others first and this will take time and patience.

Please note, you do not have my permission to copy this article, i will not accept being named as an original author, this article is posted for WebGuruBB and it's members only. I do hold the right to use article on any forum owned by myself

 

[xpl0iter]

Awesome article I must say. And I strongly agree about the importance of building relationships in social networks!

 

[AlkHolic!©]

Thanks very much xpl0iter, building relationships is so important in every aspect of life, your average persona just doesn't realize how important it is.

 

[Jordan]

Awesome article I must say. And I strongly agree about the importance of building relationships in social networks!

I can see where and why you would do this but social marketing also is not always the way to go. I don't normally bother with this sorta of stuff unless my website will automatically publish it to the social network itself.

 

[Pierre E. (Lancer)]

It is an awesome practice! Twitter and Facebook are not ideal to get interaction with your website if you are not promoting a product. But, it also exist ways to gt interaction for less traffic. Call user directly to share their thoughts on your website.

By example: How to get reply to your forum promoting on social media? Leave your thoughts... link

 

[xTinx]

I would have to agree with this. Having been in the SEO and digital marketing industry for more than 3 years now, I have observed that our sites get a chunk of their traffic from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus posts. In fact, these four social networks are my go-to sites for marketing our company's products and services. Sometimes, we do resort to "desperate mode" marketing and tag our target prospects in various promotional posts. It can be a bit much but if you do it sparingly, the effort can grab your prospects' attention. Hey, what do you know. It really does work.

 

[tmgenterprises]

The question here is this, Can these formidable platforms aid you in the promoting of your forums or websites? the short answer is in my opinion is NO!

You can make a dramatic difference to your website traffic by simply posting links on these social giants, BUT are you going to get quality content back from it, that is where our opinions may change.
I personally do not agree that you will receive much back from Social Networking other than simple traffic, your average Facebook user for example, wants to click "Like" rather than post an opinion and your Twitter, the tweeters prefer to click "ReTweet".

So you seem to be saying it's not very useful, but then the article goes on to give tips. This doesn't make sense to me. I find Facebook, in particular, to be great for connecting people to my other sites. Are you going to get a ton of traffic? Probably not, but the traffic you do get is quality because it's people who are actually interested.

 

[Shawn Barton]

Social media comes with its benefits especially when used as a creative marketing tool for businesses. It helps you get your brand name out there in social networks. This should however be done with a target audience in mind. Social media sites operate on a more personal basis therefore you have the opportunity to interact with online communities directly by discussing topics, your services or products and also answering all their questions. You can easily build a valuable connection with your forum members or website visitors by coming up with an interactive social page or group.