Things You Should Not Do in Social Media Marketing

Never use social media marketing if your motive is to fool the members. There are many cases where companies, not just companies but big ones tried to fool the people by using social media. Being fake is not good for anyone on the social web. Wal-Mart and Sony’s “All I want for Xmas is a PSP” scheme have all sink to the lower level in reputation and social media outlook. They used social media to think they can get away with it but it turns the other way around.

Maybe you’re thinking that it could also be part of their marketing techniques to be talk of the town. (Possible) But for us, we know that they made a mistake to think no one will notice. Why make a fake account, fake people to be notice when they are already famous?

With social media marketing you can learn new trends and techniques through give and take process. But other people want to do it their own way. Not listening to suggestions, comments or any feedback from other members. Why are they doing social media in the first place? IF you want to be more effective online, you have to know how to listen to the people around you. Know what they want, give them what they need.

Each social media sites have their own terms of services guidelines. Before you participate in any conversation, make sure you fully read the rules to avoid alienation by the community or be labeled as a spammer. You have to observe first, do they accept product introductions or not.

Social media marketing have changed the way people think. They search more information about a product before they buy. They changed how traditional selling online was made. Before there are telemarketers pushing the product to a potential client. Now it is different, you simply cannot force the people to buy or avail services online. They crave for more information and they seek feedback from previous customers, etc. Today, you have to provide people the information that can help convert them to sales.


The numbers of social media sites are continuously growing as well as their users. Many company’s marketing department are using social media sites for their business. But if their works are not linked together then all they do is a waste of time. They have to target the same market, offering the same product, meaning they have one planned attack. Not working together is inefficient and can create mixed messages for consumers that participate in more than one social media destination for the brand.

To make this post more positive I advice you to always remember the 8 C’s about social media and you wouldn’t be lost.

  • Connections
  • Conversation
  • Content
  • Control
  • Community
  • Consumer
  • Creative
  • Collaboration

These should not be very difficult to do if you find social media interesting. Like I always say on my articles and blogs, social media marketing should be interactive and fun.

The Real Core of Social Media Marketing

There are many people who are using social media tools for the marketing campaigns to get in touch to thousands of people online. But what if all this effort is useless? What if getting the attention of many people is just another waste in the basket.

There is a big difference in getting the attention of the reader than motivating them to act. Granting that you have many visitors, do they act according to your plans? Of course not. No one really knows if they can get their readers to participate. But there is a way to increase that possibility.

There are many social media tools around the internet just waiting to be used. Their potential is so high that everyone is confused which ones are appropriate for their campaign. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the top three contenders in social media world. They have the most people involved and their features are quite unique and easy to use.

Some might not believe me but for me there is no secret weapon in doing social media marketing. Everything is served for the people and the internet is the buffet table waiting its dishes to be taken by the guests.

Even if you don’t use popular social media platforms such as the top three mentioned above. You can still be effective and popular online, with the right group or community, the right information and the right way to introduce your brand to the people.

It’s all in the mind of the weak if they’re worrying how social media marketing can be used for their business. They are on a complete different path so don’t think like them. Social media will never work if all you think is business, money, and fame.

Social media is about relationships, no matter how high your reputation points on a social media site, they will never be effective if all of these points are from forum posts, blog and article posts. Yes, forums, blogs and articles are also part of the job but relying on it alone is not or will never be efficient. You have to make it more personal, interact, and socialize with the community members. Build a lasting relationship with them and eventually you will earn their trust. Share conversations, not just post and leave then tomorrow post again, it doesn’t make any sense. Before you jump into social media marketing you should be crystal clear with your motives. What is your goal? I hope this tip will has given you an outlook on how to do social media marketing the right way.

Why Use Twitter for Online Businesses?

Using twitter for your business online is an effective marketing technique that has been used by many businesses online it not only drive traffic to your website but will increase the popularity of your brand. With it you can also promote events/conferences/webinars to your followers. Although twitter only accepts limited characters, you can still get their attention by choosing the right words to use. The more direct and catchy your chosen words, the better.

With the follow and following mechanism of twitter you can easily announce new updates on your about your company, new opportunities, new products and services and many more. You can use it as a group messaging platform for your members to see.

With twitter you can also know who active and not so active members are online. Judging by their profile you can also determine who are influential and have more connections which can help you in the future for referrals.

By following people with the same interest as you, you can also gain new knowledge. You can search the current trends in real time which can also be applied for your business. But the most well-known advantages of using twitter for your business is the sharing of knowledge, ideas and information to followers. It is a give and take process, you learn some – you teach some. You can reach and easily engage with your target audience. Information sharing is the most important thing in twitter, without this people will hesitate to follow you. They will not follow you for something they won’t benefit.

You can develop new business contacts using Twitter. Friends of friends’ referrals are the most effective lead generation system that exists. They can vouch for your and for their friend. Connections are very important for twitter users.

If you are not using twitter for your business online then you are missing a lot of benefits and losing to your competition. It is not too late to open your twitter account and share ideas to others. You just have to be informative, patient and active user online to gain reputation. You never know how it can change the way you see social media marketing can do to online business.

Weapons for Marketing your Business Online

We know that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays an important part in web marketing for business online. There are many ways that affects a business’ ranking in the search engine practicing SEO. Many webmasters claim they have the secret tools placed them on top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). These secrets are not really secret at all and can be found scattered all over the internet. Targeting searchable keywords, Submitting updates by press releases, and interacting to online communities using social media and networking sites are just few examples you can do to earn search engine rankings and favor of the online users.

Let us see what makes websites rank in search engines using Search Engine Optimization Web Marketing:

Webmaster Tools
Webmasters job aside from maintaining good websites is to know what are the new trends and related technologies that can help the website rank in major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. Tracking tools, widgets and even banners also have huge affect in a company’s SEO Campaign.

Everyone that has website wants to have their website appear on the first page of Google search results. And this can be done accordingly with the use of the right SEO tools. Determining the right keywords to use, location of the market to track and links to count are all part of the SEO campaign. If you are already using SEO Tools for your campaign you need to maximize its use and avoid getting labeled as a spammer.

To know more about SEO and webmaster tools you can check Google Webmaster Tools for more reference on how your site will be loved by Google.

When it comes to tools determining a sites page rank and competitors standing, I suggest you search what suits your taste like I did mine. I am using Firefox add-ons such as SeoQuake and SEOBook’s Page Rank Checker - works very well for my keyword analyzing and they are incredibly fast accurate.

Video Optimization
Videos are natural attention catcher, if you have interesting thing you can share to people upload a video. Videos are not only for entertainment but for promoting products and services as well. Watching videos are free and that makes YouTube and MetaCafe widely popular. Videos are also helpful in industrial or machineries industry that needs demonstration processes on how the system works.

Optimized video that links to the website helps the website earn good ranking. Videos should be an eye catcher and people will be hooked to finish the video.

Optimized Press Releases
When using press releases to promote a business online, make sure to know how can you make the reader interested in going to the website. Press releases can create strong brand awareness and direct huge traffic to the website. Press release if distributed properly is a powerful marketing tool that will attract customers in a very positive way.

Social Media Networking
Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Networking works almost the same, target the audience, put up useful content and spread the word to online communities. With the use of social media and networking sites, you can gather many people to read your writings and updates about the products and services you provide. Social media marketing is easy to use and can target the market easier than ever with social networking sites unique features.

Top Social Media Sites I personally use:


Being part of an online community, you can share knowledge, techniques with your connections. It is a give and take process so be active on participating in a group discussions. Social media marketing affects the business faster than any other method because of it s wide range target audiences. Because of this, social media can also result for a business to fail faster due to bad comments or bad feedback from customers. So be wise when doing social media marketing for your business. It is a powerful tool, it’s free and fun to use.

Tips on Running a Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign

Give and Take
Listen to your customers and give corresponding response to their needs. Social media marketing is made to be interactive, so make the most out of it by sharing ideas or knowledge regarding the topic. Social media marketing is a two way conversation, so don’t leave the post while people are waiting for a response.

Avoid Auto-Responders
Like I said, social media marketing is supposed to be fun, interactive where you can share your thoughts or ideas. And if you want to ruin your brand online there is nothing more of a killer than using auto responders for your members queries. There is nothing more absurd than using auto responders on a social media marketing campaign.

No Hidden Agendas
If you are planning something that is not shown in the chart, a hidden agenda that will shock the world it is better to be kept hidden and never be used. Online communities talk to each other, they use the same internet that you are using and can be more knowledgeable than you think. Any bad feedback in your history will be brought up and will put you on doubt.
The secret is to be transparent to the members, give them what they really need to know and be honest about everything that involves them and the business. Hidden agendas or stretching the truth will come out in the end so don’t let it destroy your reputation.

Enjoy with the Community Members
Treat everyone with utmost respect, value them like you value your business for they will help you expand through referrals. Be part of the community and share useful knowledge. Start off by making friends with the members of the community. Give advices and ask for something in return like knowledge you don’t know. You never know that your simple relationship online will extend to partnership or better even until offline. Socialize with the people and they will consider you as part of the pack, push your content and disregarding the members on it will result failure in the end.

Today, social media marketing and the traditional way of lead generation is being combined by big and business, making their members part of their online community. This is smart, because they can be updated with the new development of the business. Social media marketing is also being considered by other online marketers as part of SEO or search engine optimization. It is considered by many site owners and web developers that SMM will be part of the SEO campaign. The good thing is that Social media marketing narrows the target audience, it’s free and effective.