Social Media Marketing
Whilst Web 2.0 represents the technical capability behind consumer
powered and generated content, SMM or Social Media Marketing represents
how the ad industry is attempting to relate to the online 'virtual'
communities.
As defined by Wikipedia:
"Social Media Marketing (SMM) combines the goals of internet
marketing with social media sites such as Digg, Flickr, MySpace,
YouTube and many others.[1] The SMM goals will be different for
every business or organization, however most will involve some form
of viral marketing to build idea or brand awareness, increase visibility,
and possibly sell a product or service. SMM may also include online
reputation management.
Most online communities don’t welcome traditional direct
or hard sell techniques so an effective SMM campaign will require
more finesse to execute properly. SMM campaigns must be targeted
to the community you want to reach with a message that appeals to
them. Some common ways of achieving this are with authoritative
information, entertainment, humor or controversy.[2]
SMM is related to other online marketing such as Search Engine
Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Viral Marketing, Word of
Mouth Marketing, and Social Media Optimization. Many believe Social
Media Optimization (SMO) takes a passive role in establishing the
framework for different social sites to connect themselves. Others
feel SMO is taking the principles of SEO and applying them to social
websites. SMM takes a more active planned role directing, influencing
or suggesting community members create and connect the content"
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_marketing
To fully benefit from marketing on social media sites one has to
understand the market segment that they attract - typically youth
demographics seeking emotional belonging to group culture. An attempt
to market business services through this channel would be futile.
As the media capabilty develops and the cultural rings expand,
perhaps we will see other niche social media sites targeted at other
demographics - but for now, I would suggest that unless your site
fits within the group target - its a matter of applying basic marketing
sense, and direct your efforts elsewhere.
NEXT: Using
Facebook Applications For Affiliate Marketing
Web 2.0 Index | Social
Media Marketing | Facebook Applications
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