Social media marketing utilises online social networking sites as a marketing tool. The goal of social media marketing is to produce content that users will share with their social networks, to help your company increase its brand exposure and customer reach.

One of the key components is social media optimisation (SMO), which like search engine optimisation (SEO) is a strategy for drawing new and unique visitors to your website. Social media optimisation uses RSS feeds, social news and bookmarking sites, social media sites and video and blogging sites. SMO and SEO are similar in that the ultimate goal is to drive traffic to your web site.

Effective social media marketing can also help your company get direct feedback from customers (and potential customers) while making your company seem more personable.

The interactive parts of social media gives’ customers the opportunity to ask questions or voice complaints and to feel they are being heard. This aspect of social media marketing is called social customer relationship management (social CRM).

To some, 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 for being a passing marketing interest, and therefore, an unprofitable one. The statistics, however, illustrate a different picture. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers state that social media marketing is important for business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to websites. 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.

At Fortitude.Expert we can help you effectively utilise social media sites as a marketing tool.