Why is Social Media Important?

More and more, popular icons for the top social media sites are showing up under such standards as the search site box. And Facebook widgets are ever more common that allow you to become a fan of a brand or business directly from your website. Suddenly, everyone is talking about social marketing. Is it a fad? Is it hype? Is it worth the trouble? I’m going to tell you right now why it IS important and why your business may depend on marketing by social media getting it right. With nearly 400 Million active users, Facebook is now the size of the country of Germany, and adding over 1/2 Million new users per day! Twitter is not as big but is also growing fast. The phenomenal growth of these online giants ultimately reflects our compelling desire to connect with each other around common interests. AND it presents a whole new paradigm for communicating and selling online. The old distinctions of B to B and B to Consumers are not as meaningful anymore as everyone from the janitor on up to the CEO is on Facebook, swapping news and stories with friends. Ultimately, people do not buy from companies, social media marketing they buy from people and social media can put a more informal, hip and personal face on an otherwise impersonal company. As successful online marketers such as Frank Kern and Jeff Walker have discovered and proven with testing, folks hate to be sold to, but they love to buy from a trusted friend or advisor. I would add that they especially hate to be sold to by a huge, faceless, impersonal corporation, who doesn’t understand them or give a hoot about them. But give them true value for free via social media and other forms of direct communication, building both trust AND desire, and they will LOVE to buy from you.

Why Social Media is Important for Your Personal and Professional Life

Recently, Facebook celebrated its 10th anniversary. What was once a website just for Harvard’s student body rapidly became an Internet phenomenon that changed the way we interact. Currently, Facebook boasts 1.23 billion monthly active users, according to reports,and helped inspire other successful networking platforms. These social media sites have changed the way we interact with each other. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, social media marketing strategy Vine and more make it simple to stay connected in people’s lives. You can easily catch up with friends with their statuses, photos and videos they post. And social media is not just important for your personal life, it is also a great tool for businesses or anyone trying to develop their professional network or look for a job. With all the social media sites and applications popping up every year, it can be tricky to keep up and navigate through them. Each one has something different to offer depending on what you are looking for and can benefit you in many different ways. Before you dive in, get to know about each social media platform and what it can offer you with this introductory course. In it, you will learn how to set up accounts on different websites, as well as basic social media terminology. Instagram is a great show-and-tell social media tool. Like Twitter, it utilizes hashtags to make it easier for like-minded people to discover your business and follow you. This social media platform is great for those in the retail business because you can use it to show off new arrivals. Own a bakery and want to fill your account with decadent pastries and desserts? Take photos of goods baked fresh that day and post them online with the appropriate hashtags. Own a boutique and have new arrivals for spring? Fashionistas scour social media marketing planInstagram daily in order to find new styles and brands. Put your new arrivals out there and tag them to get people’s attention. Like Twitter, the more you use hashtags, the more you will be able to find people with similar interests who are also in your field. You will be able to network with people in your town and all over the world. To get started on Instagram, we offer this course specifically for businesses to engage with their customers.

Benefits Of Social Media Marketing

To some entrepreneurs, social media marketing is the “next big thing,” a temporary yet powerful fad that must be taken advantage of while it’s still in the spotlight. To others, it’s a buzzword with no practical advantages and a steep, complicated learning curve. Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed a reputation by some for being a passing marketing interest, and therefore, an unprofitable one. The statistics, social media marketing companies however, illustrate a different picture. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites. And according to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media—but 85% of participants aren’t sure what social media tools are the best to use. This demonstrates a huge potential for social media marketing to increase sales, but a lack of understanding on how to achieve those results. Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are just new channels for your brand’s voice and content. This is important because it simultaneously makes you easier and more accessible social media marketing services for new customers, and makes you more familiar and recognizable for existing customers. For example, a frequent Twitter user could hear about your company for the first time only after stumbling upon it in a newsfeed. Or, an otherwise apathetic customer might become better acquainted with your brand after seeing your presence on multiple networks.