Many clients and commentators when talking about online marketing and advertising refer to social media and social networking in the same breath but in truth this leads to many misunderstandings as social media is by definition the tool for broadcasting your message just as in the offline environment and advertising, marketing and networking are 3 different ways of using the media.
Social media can be defined as media that is based on conversation and interaction between people online and where the media channel is sites such as You Tube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Linkedin or more interest lead sites like talkphotography.co.uk and the footballforum.net. Within these sites various social media tools are videos, apps., forums, blogs are examples of the social media tools used in these environments.
Social networking is a way of communicating on these types of sites with like-minded people, normally through groups and web sites where common interests are shared. It is not a forum or opportunity for overt selling but one an area in which general comment and discussion can nudge people to the mindset you are after. Social networking is all about communities and fitting in with the community and adding to it for the benefit of all. Word of mouth and referrals have always been a strong method of gaining business and social networking is no different as the aim is to get communities and groups talking about your brand, products and services in a manner such that they positively influence their friends and peers to engage and buy from you. Social networking also embodies 2-way communication, when talking on a blog or forum you are expecting comments or answers, even those that disagree with you.
Building your own network is costly, and a slow process unless you are already an established brand in a sector that has an active audience such as photography. Social networking allows you to tap into ready made networks where you can comment and drive interest providing you use the tools correctly. I am not saying that you should not try and create your own network but just bear in mind that it will take time and effort.
Social networking therefore is all about building awareness and comment.
Using social media to advertise and actively market your services is a different proposition entirely as many forms of social networks do not lend themselves to advertising and various research has shown that the interest in adverts on sites like Facebook is not great and in fact can often lead to negative feelings towards the advertiser. There are numerous reasons for this not least is the fact that you are often being forced upon a user in a space they feel is personal to them and their friends, hence you are seen as invading. It is better to use places like YouTube where open access is expected and videos if entertaining and engaging enough can be quickly seen my large numbers of users who may well add them to their part of a social network and if this is the case you are protected for being the invader. Behavioural profiling may allow adverts to be targeted to those who have shown an interest in a particular area and advertising on networks that are about a specific pastime or hobby may be of benefit as you have a captive audience, but general advertising on a site like Facebook will potentially do more harm than good.
If you are marketing rather than advertising you also need to be careful in the approach you take as being seen to be selling is nearly always taken as a negative, in fact it is worse than spam in many instances. However being seen to solve problems is not, so don’t just sell a product or service but engage with users who have a problem you can solve or address and encourage them to visit your site or just talk to you through the social network in this way. If they find you helpful they are more likely to engage with you further, even if not today possibly at some stage in the future.
In summary, networking on the Internet using the various forms of media available is a powerful albeit a time consuming option, and marketing and advertising whilst a growing area of spend needs to be carefully thought through and managed so that you harness its power to be positive and not its power to be negative.
If you want to discuss further leave us a comment or call us on 01844 295170 we would love to hear your thoughts.
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