Social Media

Internet Marketing: How To Use Social Media To Connect With Consumers

June 21, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

Times are changing, and changing with them is how businesses connect with their customers. Technology has made public relations and marketing more effective, and at the same time more complicated, and being up to date on these techniques can make or break a business in this modern world. Internet marketing has become a huge part of the business world, so huge in fact that so many websites run based solely off of the money they make from advertising space.

Take Facebook as an example, which takes it a internet marketing a step further and uses social media marketing to help companies and products grow. Facebook can look at what things people “like” or what people say their interests are on their profile and cater the advertisements people see directly based on these observations. For example I recently updated my profile to say I enjoy playing golf and I suddenly have golf advertisements on the side of my page. This method is far more effective than assuming everyone watching ESPN will want to buy beer or men’s hygiene products and therefore advertising for them on the station. Not only can companies use Facebook to market their products, but they can also use it to build public relations. Many companies have created their own Facebook pages where consumers can go to get updates on new product, ask questions, and even express their opinions about the company and what they do. Having these pages also acts as free advertising for companies, as people can see when their friends like a page and because of that may be inclined to go check it out for themselves.

Another way to do this is to start a blog that allows consumers to ask questions that can be answered by members in the company. By allowing individuals to ask specific questions people can get the answers they really want, while the company can work to build better rapport with their customers. This also allows for potential consumers to get in touch with current consumers who may be able to recommend your product.

As the tech savvy young people of today continue to grow into the clientele of tomorrow it is important that companies keep up with the times by using internet as well as social media marketing to reach these potential consumers. By using these public relations techniques companies can continue to survive and thrive in this hi tech world.

Effective Social Media Marketing

June 6, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

With the growing popularity of the internet as an essence to many ways of life, businesses are beginning to utilize the internet and all of its abundant resources to benefit their advertisement and crowd to whom they sell to. Over the last decade, there has been a rapid growth in the amount of use and ease of access to social media. Sites such as “Facebook”, “Twitter”, and “Linkedin” have paved the way for this rise in the significance of social media.

Such a strong rise in the usage of such sites have struck businesses; provoking new ideas and methods of effective marketing, truly ideal for this rise in technology and reliance on the virtual world. Businesses have noticed this new opportunity and many have taken advantage of such a playing field, testing and utilizing diverse methods in hopes of achieving the best solution. Social Media Marketing has become a new open territory for businesses to explore.

Internet marketing has always been a big part of the world wide web itself, allowing companies to achieve a wider geographically sound customer base. With such a significant rise recently in the utilization of social media, companies have begun to stretch their internet presence to such markets such as these as well. An effective social media marketing plan is the key step to having a successful usage of time and money through such markets. The first part of deriving this plan is to have an understanding of the company’s customer. Knowing the typical age, wealth, and hobbies of the customer is very significant towards the long run of solid advertisement.

With this new knowledge, one can target the typical lifestyle of the typical customer, finding ways to intertwine the product, with advertisement, into the customer’s everyday life. The social media site “Facebook” is great with taking the hobbies or interests of a person and then matching advertisements on the side that apply to that particular user’s interests. With an active account on “Twitter” a company can update its customers with new information or sales. “Linkedin” does an effective job to connect people to work for the greater good of solving a problem or opening new connections in the job market.

There are many popular social media sites that can work to provide great marketing opportunities, but sometimes a community moderator is necessary to see the impact the social media page has on the area and potential and existing customers. Ideas executed adequately in social media can have a positive effect on a business.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: internet marketing, social media marketing

Why Your Business Needs Social Media Marketing

May 31, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

Business owners know that it is important to keep up with marketing trends. Social media marketing is the tool that business owners can use to promote their business. There are many benefits to using this new form of marketing that other forms of marketing do not have.

Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing uses marketing methods that many people are familiar with. These forms of marketing include, but are not limited to: email blasts, advertisement, cold calling, trade shows, and telemarketing. Outbound marketing has proven to be successful for many business owners; however, many business owners understand that it takes a lot of time and hard work for these methods to pay off.

Outbound marketing methods are hit-or-miss because they do not target certain audiences. In other words, the company is promoted to people who may or may not be looking for its product. Even though outbound marketing is hit-or-miss, a lot of the methods are expensive to utilize, and thus, not worth a lot of a business owner’s time or money.

Inbound marketing

Inbound marketing uses marketing methods like social media and internet marketing to target specific audiences. In reality, social media gives a business owner instant warm leads. With inbound marketing, people control what kinds of advertisements they see. A business owner that effectively uses social media marketing will see an increased amount of traffic to their business. Sites like Facebook allow a business owner to create a business profile that, with proper promotion, can be seen by millions of people.

Social sites like Facebook and Twitter focus on relationships. Social media marketing allows the opportunity for people to share a business profile that they like with their friends. Because of this, it is possible for a company to go “viral” among potential customers.

Many business owners are realizing the potential of social media marketing, and they are taking advantage of it while it is still new. Soon, internet marketing and social media marketing will be another outdated method, and the companies that utilized social media early in its life will still profit from it.

It is important for you to understand how important it is to use internet marketing. If you do not use social media, your competition will take advantage of it and profit. To be successful with social media, you need to establish your brand before your competition. Your loyal customers will give you free word of mouth advertising, which is the best kind of marketing.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: internet marketing, social media marketing

Leverage Your Business with 4 Social Media Musts

May 24, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

Social media marketing is the latest advertising technique that is sweeping the Internet. Businesses are discovering that in order to compete in today’s growing marketplace, they have jump on this technological bandwagon. There are four must haves for a business to successfully implement a social media plan.

Develop a Blog. A blog is the best Internet marketing tool because it offers updates on areas of your business’s expertise. Additionally, blogs are great for search engine optimization (SEO) because they are updated frequently and constant daily hits due to the updating and search engines will review a blog frequently.
Set up a Facebook Page. Having a Facebook fan page allows a business to advertise current promotions or upcoming sales and events. Additionally, fans and followers of the business and products can keep abreast of company activities and add comments to the fan page.
Set up a Twitter Page. Creating a Twitter page is a great way for businesses to directly communicate with their prospects and clients. Additionally, clients can pose questions or easily find out information from the business. Twitter can be used as a low cost marketing tool for communicating business related information, to attain new clients and generate more revenue.
Create a Profile on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a popular networking tool which provides business professional with a means to network or “connect” with other professionals in the same field or to form strategic partnerships with professionals in complimentary fields.

If a business wants to compete in today’s technology driven marketplace then they have to modify their means of communication and way of doing business to accommodate social media interaction. Social media is used as a tool to stay connected with consumers via the internet; knowing that the internet is a powerful tool for communication. Social media is seen as a means to maintain a sound relationship with existing customers while simultaneously reaching potential customers.

The use of social media to connect with prospects and clients is giving businesses a competitive edge. Those who shy away from such technology will leave the door open for their competition to step in and take over. Social media is here and it does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Now is the time to jump on board this new technology train and see how far it will take you.

Filed Under: Blogging, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: blogging, internet marketing, social media marketing

How Your Business Can Benefit from a Blog

May 18, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

In the 21st Century information age of Google, Facebook, Twitter and iPhones being connected and having a web presence is a must. If you have a business whether it be in its infancy or well established opportunities for growth exist online. Every business especially those that provide services to the public, Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, Lawyers just to name a few should have a web presence. You need a website to attract customers in the new millennium. But having a website alone might not be enough? To increase traffic one needs to be engaged in Internet marketing more so than just being listed on Google and placing ads. Social networking sites are a great way to form a fresh young client base. Facebook and Twitter are sites consumers are using to connect to their favorite brands. One of the best ways to provide constant updates on your business, your products or services on social networking sites is to maintain a blog.

A blog? Isn’t that for political and news junkies and teenage girls who follow celebrity crushes and entertainment news? Is it really for a business? Absolutely! Businesses are catching on to the world of blogging. Blogs are for everything and are for everyone! Many blogs look professional and offer updates on areas of your business’s expertise. A stock broker or agency may write about the pulse of the market. Real Estate agents will often give tips and feedback to buyers and sellers, show market trends in the price of houses. As a business you are offering something free, a sample of your services online to everyone to establish both a rapport and a sense that you are the expert. The idea is for the consumer to remember this and in return offer you their business. The goal is to establish a sense of credibility so the next time the consumer whom browses your site needs a service they come to you in trust.

A blog is the best Internet marketing tool because updates and posts can automatically be posted to Twitter and Facebook. Both Blogger and WordPress are free services that have great hosting abilities and plenty of templates. In addition with just a click of a button the latest post is added to your Facebook page with a description and picture. It will even update your Twitter status using the title of the post and link to article. This is an automatic way to increase traffic. Twitter is the ultimate free traffic maximizer! It is a system in which people follow you have your Tweets updated on their homepage. You could have thousands of people seeing your new post every day. If you do Twitter right it is easy to get a couple thousand of followers within a few weeks.

Additionally, blogs are great for search engine optimization (SEO) because they often have more posts and constant daily hits due to the updating search engines tend to pick them up faster. A blog is a must for extreme traffic and sales!

Filed Under: Blogging, Internet Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: blogging, internet marketing, social media

Enhance Social Media Presence with Facebook

May 10, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

Most people have a personal Facebook page set up which allows them to communicate and interact with their friends and

Facebook pages are a great way for businesses to communicate their message and connect with their clients.

family. However, many businesses are not taking advantage of this marketing tool and setting up a Facebook fan page for their business. Having a Facebook fan page allows a business to advertise current promotions or upcoming sales and events. Additionally, fans and followers of the business and products can keep abreast of company activities and add comments to the fan page.

This type of interaction creates a relationship between the customer and business. Additionally, research reveals that customers are more likely to buy from a business or sales professional that they feel comfortable with and they can trust.

Facebook provides many opportunities to generate interest in a business. By attracting fans, a business can have access to up to 5,000 people. A business can update fans on new products or news and include links to the information they want to spread the word about. Additionally, a business can send marketing messages, offers and other lead magnets to their target market to persuade them to “like” their fan page. A business will then have access to their target market.

Facebook has some additional benefits that many of the other social media networking sites do not. Facebook allows users to post pictures, video, links and longer posts. Additionally, fans will able to access a business’s post for up to five years.

With so many powerful ways to build traffic using Facebook, marketers cannot ignore this medium of generating sales. However, attracting clients and prospects via Facebook can be quite time consuming. Fortunately, there are numerous services and tools that can automate many of the tasks that would take an undue amount of time to complete if they were all being done manually. Furthermore, Facebook is also a very inexpensive way to promote products or services. A business with a lot of fans will result in simple and easy promotions.

Filed Under: Blogging, Internet Marketing, Social Media

7 Top Twitter Tips for Real Estate Agents

May 5, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

With the internet becoming the go-to place for resources, it’s understandable that having a knowledge of online marketing is necessary. One of those resources is twitter and understanding its many complexities is the key to moving you up in the world of real estate.

1) Set Up
Customization is the key to pulling people in. Of course, putting a picture up is important. People usually don’t follow people without pictures for fear of that person constantly spamming them. Another useful way of gaining attention is by including a logo or slogan. With twitter growing by the day, being able to stand out in a crowd is vital.

2) Who to follow
Twitter allows you to find people to follow based on your interests. First and foremost, when choosing who you’re going to follow, make sure those individuals regularly update respective feeds and aren’t just casual users. When starting out, it’s easy to want to follow as many random people as possible hoping they’ll follow you back. However, sticking to a specific audience in the beginning can prove more beneficial.

3) Gaining followers
Unlike on facebook, where you ‘friend’ people, wait for them to accept it, and watch you friend list grow, in order to keep up with people on twitter you have to follow them and get them to follow you. This can at first seem like a daunting process, but it gets easier once you understand the ‘give and take’ nature of the following process. Of course in order to gain followers, you have to be the follower first. Making use of twitter’s tools and meeting people outside of the social network sphere will definitely gain you those followers.

4) Communicating
The most important part of twitter and any social network is, of course, communicating, especially communicating effectively. On twitter, learning how to use hashtags is crucial. For example, if tweeting about social media, you would simply use the two words in a regular sentence but type it as #socialmedia. Doing this makes your tweets easier to find. When tweeting, don’t overdo it. Updating every two minutes about the same thing is basically the same as spamming. Your goal is to refresh people, not annoy them.

5) Automating
Keeping up with all the tweets, hashtags, RT’s, even trending topics can seem like quite a load to keep track of. This is also a reason why many real estate agents are turned off at the notion of using a social networking site to find potential clients. Thankfully, there are ways to applications such as EasyTweets, Tweetbacks, and Twitterfon that allow you to automate specific tasks. If you want to be alerted of people using certain keywords, these are the applications to go with.

6) Sharing Pictures
Twitpic is a useful means of posting pictures, such as local listings, directly from your phone onto twitter. Use Tinyurl.com when linking to make your URL’s shorter.

Remember who your target audience is and be sure to thank the ones who retweet and mention your products.

Learn more about Social Media Marketing by attending our FREE webinar, 6 Figure Secrets to Social Media Automation: Harness the Monster Power of Social Media Marketing to Grow Your Business Without YOU Lifting a Finger to Do the Work!

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Marketing, MySMARTblog, Referral Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: marketing, mortgage lender, mortgage lender marketing, real estate, twitter

How Real Estate Agents can Achieve Success with Twitter

May 3, 2011 By Mikel Erdman Leave a Comment

Research reveals that people under the age of 40 solely utilize the Web to research information, look up local business information and connect with others. As a result, real estate agents, mortgage brokers and business owners are advertising through online media sources versus traditional print advertising. Social media marketing is a term that describes use of social networks, online communities, blogs, or any other online collaborative media for marketing, sales, public relations and customer service. So what that means is that it is the media we use to be social and connect with customers, prospects and friends. A popular form of social media is microblogging. Microblogging is posting messages that are 140 characters or less. This forces us to be more succinct and get to the point. Microblogging is like text messaging and a little bit more. The most popular microblogging site is Twitter.

Twitter recently reported that it has approximately 200 million users. Of these users, an average 140 million tweets are sent per day and an average of 460,000 new accounts are created on a daily basis. With numbers like this, it is obvious that information about a product or service can each millions of users with the click of a mouse.

Using Twitter is a great way for businesses to directly communicate with their prospects and clients. Additionally, clients can pose questions or easily find out information from the business. Twitter can be used as a low cost marketing tool for communicating business related information, to attain new clients and generate more revenue.

Real estate agents, mortgage brokers and business professionals can harness the power of Twitter by finding prospects and communicating with clients. However, utilizing Twitter to its full capabilities is more than just creating an account and acquiring followers. Real estate agents need to consistently post relevant, useful and timely messages to their Twitter account. Topics can include newly acquired listings, recently sold listings, property price changes, community and neighborhood news, tips on the best neighborhoods to live in and links to information on their website.

Filed Under: Blogging, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: internet marketing, social media marketing, twitter

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