Social Media 101

by

Tara Walsh

Social media can be quite overwhelming for people not familiar with it. However, once you learn how to effectively utilize social media you will understand why it should be an important part of your marketing mix.

So, what is all the social media hype about anyway? By now, you have seen people and companies (big and small) using it, and probably feel that you should be using it as well. Like most people, you are most likely not sure how to use it to best promote your business.

If you’re a business owner, social media is something you should seriously consider since it is free and millions of other businesses are using it right now to get sales. Because so many people and businesses are using social media, it’s an effective way to obtain the information you need to grow your income.

What is social media? Social media is essentially a way to socialize through the Internet and an interactive way of communicating with your customers, prospects, and business champions.

In social media, business champions, can help you build your business by giving you references and singing your praises online. For example, if you are an accountant, you could build a networking relationship with an insurance agent, financial planner, and lawyer. These users can recommend you to their social network and you, in turn, can recommend them to your one.

It is key for entrepreneurs to understand how prospects and customers are obtaining information through social so that their business succeeds. Several social media platforms have millions of people participating and networking on them. Think about the opportunity to meet, connect, and share with people who may be your future customers or even business champions. Social media allows you to not only reach people online, but it also enables you to make them part of your community. Customers and prospects have a platform to engage with you, get to know you, and build a relationship of trust with you. Historically, customers would talk about a product with their friends and family, now they will write about good (and bad) product reviews on their blog, or share their experience on one of the many social media sites.

Social networking really isn’t new, it simply involves different mediums to network and grow your business. Each social media platform has its own etiquette rules and culture. The following is a breakdown of what you should consider in your social media strategy:

Facebook has 17 to 75 year old males and females on its platform. It may surprise you that there are over 350 million uses on the site with an average age of 39 (and getting older), and an average income of $85,000. You can provide a status update, network, create a Fan page for your business, and connect with customers and prospects.

Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a place you can broadcast information about your business and write about how it is different from the competition. This site has 33 to 55 year olds and is slightly skewed to females.

LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) has a white collar audience with executives from every Fortune 500 company. The average age of users is 49 with an average income of about $104,000. Entrepreneurs and small business owners also have profiles on this site and network here.

MySpace has younger users and is popular for entrepreneurs targeting a young customer with an average age of users of 14 to 26.

YouTube and Video Making are critical to your business and with video phones and small handheld devices just about anyone can produce a video. The site YouTube has an impressive 1 billion viewers per day; business owners and entrepreneurs are posting speaking engagements and client testimonials.

These are just some of the social media platforms on the web. Social media is an incredible way to market your business and engage your customers and prospects. Social media is not just a trend and will continue to involve, so make sure you are included and your business will benefit.

Tara Walsh

has an MBA in Marketing, is a Marketing Executive at a global corporation, and is an Entrepreneur. She is also a devoted wife and mother. Want to learn more how to build a successful online business? Visit

Tara’s Blog

for more information.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com