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List of 750 social media sites and tools

You may have heard of the term social media. It’s thrown around a lot nowadays but many people do not know what social media and social media marketing are.

So what is social media and what is social media marketing?

Social media covers the sites through which people can share content, personal opinions, swap different perspectives and insights and generally discuss the state of the universe. You can find more lists of sites here and here and here and here and here and our own just here

Of course once you have social media then you get Social Media Marketing (SMM), which is using social media for marketing, public relations and customer service.

In terms of internet marketing, where does SMM fit? Well let’s get old fashioned. The three main measurable (old fashioned = direct marketing) aspects of internet marketing are:

• Search Engine Optimization or SEO
• Pay per Click such as AdWords
• Email marketing

Social media is part of the fourth called viral marketing (old fashioned = PR) which is about word of mouth and reputation. It’s that simple to place it.

Many people and companies don't understand what to do with social media. They don't see the benefit or tried using it and got nowhere or just don't get it at all.

• So what can you do with it?
• Importantly, what can’t you do with it?
• If you are going to use it how do you use it?
• What tools are available?
• How much time and money should you spend on it?
• There are these questions and many, many more.

What SMM can do

Relationship building, goodwill, and improved customer service are what social media can help you with.

Companies that embrace the idea of communicating directly with consumers find that they respond positively as long as, just like in say telemarketing, you don’t “enter their space” e.g. by calling them about your wonderful offer at 10.30 in the evening and doing it via an auto dialler that is obvious. We all hate that!

And we all know that word of mouth / recommendation / referral is the most credible tool you can use when considering whether to buy a product or service.

Other people who have had personal experience with the builder or accountant or the car or fridge model will be your most reliable and credible source for advice.

We are three times more likely to trust the opinion of people we know and trust when it comes to making a purchase than we are any form of advertising. So if your company and products or services are talked about or “bookmarked” or “twittered” then you are more likely to gain credibility and trust.

What SMM cannot do

If you think Twittering or a Facebook page will build masses of business overnight, you're kidding yourself. Relationships need nurturing and SMM is not going to:

Sell bad products or service(s) and in fact it may make people more aware how bad thing are! It can help improve your products if you listen to feedback, but if they are bad they are bad. And remember if you invite opinions then follow through with actions otherwise your ‘engagement strategy’ will be seen as a con.

Fix your bad marketing plan and poor website traffic and website conversion. Even if you get traffic on to your site, bad navigation will still be bad navigation etc. etc.

Help you save customer service costs it might even increase them. There are no shortcuts with social media. It is labour intensive and requires people power just like a call centre. Whether you like it or not social media sites are here and if people want to use Twitter to talk to you………………………………………. Social media is about service, interaction and user feedback.

Work for you if you are not a people person. Signing up to social media sites and then not saying anything isn’t going to do you any favours. A dormant or near-inactive account is an exercise in pointlessness.

So how do you implement a SMM strategy?

Implementing a successful and effective social media marketing strategy requires:

• Understanding where it fits in the marketing mix
• Having a budget for time and money
• Clear objectives
• A plan
• Understanding of the available tools, of which there are many to improve productivity
• Training for you and your staff
• Commitment

If you want to know more call us on +44 1 255 840 490

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