Why Social Media Is Becoming So Important For Internet Marketing

In the past decade, social media has taken the web by storm. Some of the most popular sites on the entire internet are for social networking, with the two most popular being Facebook and Twitter. Social networking is often overlooked as it doesn’t produce the same direct results as a link building campaign, but it’s becoming an increasingly important aspect of online marketing.

Firstly, it’s crucial that people recognize your brand. When given the choice between Coca Cola or Krazy Kola, which do you think most people will opt for? The same principle applies to businesses. People naturally gravitate towards the familiar, meaning the more people see your name popping up on the social networking sites they use every day, the more likely they are to remember you when they need your services.

Secondly, viral campaigns have become the Holy Grail of web marketing. If you can get your content shared over and over again by social networking users, the repercussions are potentially massive. Not only will people talk about your brand, but inevitably some of these shares will lead to curious viewers finding out more about your site. Generally speaking, the campaigns that go viral will be funny, thought-provoking or controversial… though ideally not too controversial if you want to maintain a good brand image! If you can come up with something share-worthy, you’re halfway there.

Building up rapport with potential customers by personifying your brand can be a great way to drum up interaction. Interaction with customers is vital in this day and age, when so many people take to Twitter or Facebook to voice their concerns about a company publically before approaching the company themselves. Being present on these sites means any issues can be dealt with immediately, and others will see the professional way you handle complaints. Or, even better, you might even find yourself at the end of some glowing, very public praise!

Google+ is interesting, as many people believe it has the greatest impact in Google out of all the social networking sites. If this is the case, it is relatively underused at the moment, so it would be good to jump on the bandwagon sooner rather than later to show Google that you’re present, forward-thinking and on top of the current digital market. Set up a business page and invite clients and colleagues to your circle so you can share news and updates to keep everyone informed about your brand.

Perhaps most importantly, the fact it’s internet marketing means you want to have a presence everywhere. Not being on Facebook and Twitter at the very least makes people suspicious. Chances are, your competitors will be on social networking sites. More than two thirds of online marketing campaigns involve content creation for blogs, social networks and press releases, with social media content (such as tweets and status updates) accounting for nearly 70% of all online marketing content produced. With statistics like this, can you really afford to be the one missing out on these content-devouring online communities?

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Sally James works for Sussex SEO experts Artemis Internet Marketing, helping clients achieve excellent results in their online marketing campaigns.