Warning: Online Marketing Might Work Too Well
If you think your online marketing strategies aren’t reaching anybody, consider this story about a Calgary clothing shop that relied only on non-traditional advertising to get the word out.
The staff at Lululemon, a Canadian clothing retailer, disocvered to their surprise that thousands of people were lined up outside the store waiting for it to open on the morning of a huge sale. That might not sound unusual, but the only advertising the company used was on Facebook, a social networking site.
From one little advertising technique, the word spread to thousands of users, many of whom were in the store’s targeted audience. The result was more than the retailer could ever have imagined. And what makes this story even more dramatic is the fact that the people were standing in line for hours in below-freezing temperatures!
According to University of Calgary business professor Debi Andrus, more companies are turning to social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace to create a buzz about their products. She said it gives consumers the feeling that they are involved with the word of mouth and the advertising in general.
The next time somebody tries to downplay the effect of online ads or network marketing, remember this story. There are dozens more like it, too. Online marketing is the future of advertising, and these stories are likely to increase as more and more companies realize that fact.
Three Steps to Social Media Marketing Success
Today, an effective online marketing strategy depends, at least in part, on the success of its social media plan.
Promoting your website’s content is only part of an overall plan to succeed. Effective marketing means becoming part of the network and trying to reach the forefront to gain recognition. Following are three important steps to help you and your business succeed in the world of social media marketing.
Add contacts regularly
Finding social networks that allow you to add contacts is a great way to build up your media strategy. Social sites like Myspace, Facebook and LinkedIn are large avenues to tap for new contacts. If you add just two contacts each week, you gain more than 100 contacts each year. The best part is that you can do this in just a few minutes each week. With a very small time investment, you reap benefits that can be priceless.
Consolidate your blog reader
Many people have dozens of RSS feeds and blog readers that they don’t need. Instead of spending your time reading all of these blogs, concentrate on a few that relate directly to your industry. Stay updated on the latest information and comment on the blogs you read regularly. Contact the blog’s author after a few weeks of commenting. This way, the author will be more likely to do some link-building with you because you will have formed at least some contact already. This might seem time-consuming, but it’s probably less time than you used to spend reading those dozens of blogs each day.
Participate in forums
Find a forum that relates to your industry and become an active member. Create a profile and add comments in the main part of the forum. You can also take it a step further and use the private message capabilities to introduce yourself to the more influential members of the forum in a polite yet personal manner. After building a relationship, you can slowly integrate your services or products with other forum members.
Look for more tips that lead to social media success in the next posting.
