Nowadays, we keep hearing the words “Social Media”. What is Social Media and how does it help us?

The basic principles of Social Media

Social media is the manner in which people can communicate or interact online. It’s called social media because users are involved in a social context that includes conversations, comments, but also posts or other interactions. It distinguishes from traditional mass media through quality, frequency and proximity. Content publishing has become simpler over the years, developing this mode. The users can now easily create content on an increasing number of platforms, owned (sites, blogs) or rented. Today, letting people know what you think is facile.

From business’ point of view, the boosting social media brings great opportunities, as well as responsibilities. The large data quantity that consumers make available through social media helps marketing specialists have more information useful for their campaigns.

However, the real advantage is made up by the possibility to develop long term relations with clients, measurable relations. Along with these connections comes also responsibility for users. As the customers’ behavior has changed, their expectations have increased. Although your business may or may be not online, your clients can have opinions or conversations online about it. It’s rather important to take part to these conversations, isn’t it?

The business involved in a social media campaign

• Creates an online presence meant to make the activity more visible and increase its reputation
• Keeps a dialogue with its clients on preferred channels (website, blog, social network)
• Uses its own resources, including behavior of existing customers, to get new ones.

Facebook is like a coffee shop where you talk with old friends and make new ones.
LinkedIn is a professional environment for professionals.
Twitter resembles a cocktail party that takes place after an event.
A classification of online social communication channels is difficult to make because they are linked through third party applications.

There are communication channels that have autonomy:

• Website: the content and access level is established by the company
• Blog: content is created and published by author

The website and the blog are usually also destinations for the other types of online communication channels:

• Open social networks: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn
• Media sharing networks of video, photo or audio type: YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Pinterest
• Personalized social communities: forums, groups (Yahoo Groups), wiki (Wikipedia), reviews website (TripAdvisor)
• Bookmarking and social news services: websites that publish recommendation lists from users (StumbleUpon, Reddit, Digg, Del.icio.us)
• Geolocation services (Foursquare)

Why your business needs social media?

No matter if you have a small business or run a multinational company, your clients are online. They use social media, interact with friends, colleagues, other companies, look up information, recommendations, but also means of entertainment.  If your activity is not online to give them answers, competition will surely be and will harvest every potential client you might had.

You can use social tools, website’s data, clients’ data, even own observations to help yourself see what type of customers are prone to choose your brand and remain loyal to it. It has been observed that buyers are more likely to trust the recommendations made by another person, than any other information resource, since social media allows people to share their good and bad experiences. A good management of social media can help you build a strong reputation for your company’s products and services. This should be based on the concept word of mouth, the best way to generate revenue for your activity.

The final thought goes to the basics: integrate social media since the beginning of a marketing campaign, actively listen to your clients’ opinions and your business will make the most of this amazing modern tool.