SEO-Organics

I remember every now and then when working in corporate america, I would run into advertisers who were savvy enough to inquire about Social Media.  The few that I did run into, only spoke of the almighty Facebook and Twitter accounts that they were currently engaged in.

As I begun my dialogue with the advertiser, I quickly realized that they have no idea what to do with their Facebook and Twitter accounts once they set them up.  Or, the other common problem is they didn’t know what to write about, or they simply said they tend to “run out of things to say.”

I realized just how narrowly focused these advertisers were and really wanted to help them in expanding their knowledge about the true meaning of social media marketing and what tools/sites are out there to help small businesses.

So let’s start at defining the different avenues available to the small business owner. Please keep in mind that other people may classify this list differently than myself, but in the end, it’s all still in the mix…..:

1.  Social Networking Sites- These sites consist of communities of people who share the same or similar interests in certain things.  There are some general social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and then there are some sites that are niche social sites.

For example, there are social networks for people who like pets, dogs, coin collecting, business networking, cooking, sports fans, automotive, etc.  The list goes on and on.

If you are a cosmetic dentists, for example, you may want to find a list of social sites that deal with cosmetic surgery and dentistry and begin engaging in conversations and bringing your expertise and knowledge to the table.

How do you use them?

If you are a small business owner, your goal should be to find the social networking communities that make sense to  your product or service.  Remember, the question you should ask yourself BEFORE entering any social networking site is – “How can I benefit this community?”.   If you go into a community with the WIFM attitude, you will surely fail.

Your goal is to NEVER try and pitch or sell your products in these communities. This is a sure -fire way to get yourself kicked out and lashed out against by other members.  First observe the community and find out what they are talking about.  Then, when you see a conversation in which you can add value to, then start joining in!

I am just giving you the brief synopsis here, and this is not meant to be a detailed training post on how to engage in Social Media but, I will in the future be writing more posts on how to use each one of these different social media tools so stay tuned!

2.  Social Bookmarking Sites- Social book marketing sites like Delicious, Digg, Furl and Fark can be excellent ways to organize and share the interesting content that you come across on the web.  There’s a great post about a few of these social sites from Socialnomics.

For example, in the SEO community there is such a massive amount of information out there (articles, videos, slide shows, websites, blogs) that it can be overwhelming to try and remember it all. let alone try to organize it all!

So to make these extremely easy for myself, I have a Delicious account that I store all of my great content in.  Then, when I need to recall it, I can easily find it by the tags I have created for each URL.  It’s amazing!  The best part is that you can share your content with other people that also have a Delicious account- and this is where the marketing benefits come in………..

How do you use social bookmarking sites?

For example, let’s say that you have a YouTube channel and you want to promote that channel across the web.  Once you have created your own Delicious account, you can then bookmark your own stuff and tag it appropriately so that it gets found on the Delicious site.

In another example, if you have a blog for your company, every time you create a new post you can take that post URL and save it and tag it with your Delicious account.  This is another way for people to find your content.  It also helps with building some inbound links to your blog, although not much weight is put on this.

3.  Video Sharing Sites – Video sharing sites are continuing to get more and more attention as time goes on. Consumers are flocking to video sites such as YouTube, MetaCafe and Daily Motion.

Sharing videos on sites such as YouTube and MetaCafe is one of the best things you can do to create more buzz around your brand name and business.

How do I use video sharing sites?

Here’s some ideas on what you can use  video sharing sites like YouTube for:

1. Create “how to” videos -if you are a local plumber, make a video showing how to change a leaky faucet in the bathroom.

2.  Create a slide presentation using Slideshare and then post on YouTube as well.

3.  Create a “how to” powerpoint presentation using Camtasia and then post on YouTube.

4.  Record yourself performing certain tasks in your field.  Again, if you are a plumber, have someone in your office record you going out on a call.  Show some action shots!

5.  Create a “viral-video” – Humor works well here!

6.  Take your Yellowpage.com video (if you have one) and make sure to post on MetaCafe as well. (they are automatically included in AT&T’s Yellowpage Channel on YouTube already)

7. Video testimonials – this is one of the best recommendations I can have for small businesses.  You can use these video testimonials and post them on your website, social media profiles, broadcast out to your Twitter followers, put it on your Facebook Fan Page.  The sky is the limit here!

4.  Photo Sharing Sites – Photo sharing sites are a great way to make your content come alive.  Sites such as Flickr, Smug Mug and Photo Bucket can help in several ways including sharing pictures with friends, sharing pictures with your network and helping to create a certain image about you or your company.

How do you use photo sharing sites?

Join relevant communities. Other members of these sites can link to your profile if they find interesting pictures and links on your site.  Here are some ideas on what types of photos to post:

1.  Post your logo, then put a link back to your website.

2.  Post photos of all of your products.  If you can, make sure to link back to your website.

3.  Post pictures of office staff, the office pet, the office itself.  Your goal is to create an environment that customers can connect with.  You are making them feel more connected to you as a company here.  Photos speak a thousand words!

4.  If you go on vacation, post some of your pictures – after all, I’m sure most of your customers know you went on vacation, right?

How do you use photo sharing sites?

I personally use these sites to post pictures of events, speeches, fun activities, places I’ve been, etc.  Then, for each picture, I’ll put a detailed description with my targeted keywords in it.

5. Blogging Networks/Directories- Creating a blog for your company using Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, etc. could be one of the single best things you can do.  In today’s online environment, the static web page has taken a back seat to more dynamic, ever-changing websites.

Setting up a blog can create an entire new group of readership, if you do it correctly.  My favorite blogging platform is Worpress.  If you don’t know how to host a blog yourself, you can go to Wordpress.com and get it hosted there for free.

But what happens once you’ve created your blog?  How will people find it? Well, there’s a lot of things you can do to get your blog found.  One popular method is to submit your blog to blog directories.  There’s a great list of blog directories that was published by Top Rank awhile ago.  I’ve personally been through this entire list and picked out the best ones, but this is a great place to start!.

6.  Podcasting Networks- Podcasting is another way to get your content out on the web.  With podcasting networks like Pod Bean, Podomatic, and Blogtalkradio, you can syndicate audio content throughout the internet to your audience.

How do you use podcasting networks?

You can put practically any content you want on podcasting networks.  Use them to do “how to” broadcasts or an interview with an existing client.  Testimonials is another great podcasting idea.  Finding good ideas for podcasts is easy when you know where to look.  You can look at blogs, news feeds, emails, forums, other websites, etc.  Find something that you are passionate about and believe can benefit your audience and talk about it!

In the end, there are several unique avenues that small business owners can use to get their message out.  As we continue to evolve in the internet marketing space, social media marketing will become increasingly important for gaining new clients.  Your clients will expect you to have a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter account so that they can keep track of your company and keep updating on your latest product and service offerings.

I hope this brief list helped in giving you a little bit better idea of what options are out there for social media and where to start.

Related posts:

1. My Favorite Top 50 Social Media Websites