Introduction
Undoubtedly by now almost everyone has heard the terms Social Media and Social Networking. Everyone seems to be talking about this, but the real question is what do these terms actually mean and can they really make a difference in your business? The answer is yes. No matter what your feelings are about having a personal Facebook profile to connect with old friends, or having a Twitter account to stay up to date on the latest antics of Lindsey Lohan, make no mistake about it, these two very popular social networking sites can offer many benefits for your business.
What Social Media is Not
It is important to note that Social Media is not meant to be a substitute for your existing marketing strategy. However, it can be a very effective tool to enhance your overall marketing strategy. Social media should be thought of as a tool that you can use to further enhance your reach, promote yourself or your business, and generate leads, but it should not be viewed as a short-term project with quick results.
Statistics
A recent article published by emarketer.com titled Social Media No. 1 Emerging Channel for Lead Gen included some interesting statistics. One was that in February 2010, the inbound online marketing platform HubSpot found that Twitter usage could double monthly leads. Also according to virtual events provider Unisfair, social media is the top emerging channel for lead generation among technology marketers surveyed in May 2010. These articles offer some compelling reasons to consider implementing a social media strategy.
Social Media and Social Networking. What's the difference?
The terms Social Media and Social Networking need some clarification. Many people think these are interchangeable. They are connected and have some overlap, but they are not the same.
Social Media refers to the tools or the means by which information is transmitted or shared with others. Simply put, it is a communication channel. Examples of social media would be blogs, forums, social bookmarking toolbars, and content syndication tools, to name just a few. More importantly though, these tools not only facilitate a means of providing information, but they are a means for others to interact and communicate with the writer and with each other. Blog comments and ratings, forums posts, social bookmarking toolbars – these all allow for reader interaction and the creation and evolution of discussions around the subject matter.
Social Networking consists of individuals connecting, networking or participating in conversations within social communities. This can be done in a traditional way, such as face-to-face meetings or online using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, adding comments to a blog, contributing to a forum thread, joining a Facebook group and sharing and discussing information.
Social Networking Websites and Social Bookmarking Websites. What are they?
I am sure you have heard of Facebook and Twitter before reading the introduction to this blog, but what about digg and StumbleUpon? Let’s quickly clarify what social networking websites and social bookmarking websites are.
Social Networking Websites are websites that people use to communicate with each other. They offer many features that foster the development and growth of online communities. Often these websites provide many social media tools that enable users to create and share information. These websites often allow individuals and businesses to create profiles, share information, join discussions, and create and join groups of individuals who share common interests or hobbies. A few of the more popular social networking websites are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Flickr. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other social networking websites.
Social Bookmarking Websites are websites dedicated to the organization and management of web resources such as blogs, events, announcements, even websites themselves. The most important aspect of these sites is that they do not manage the resources themselves, but rather maintain bookmarks to the resources. These would be links to blogs or websites that individuals want to share. These sites provide search functionality allowing users to search for information and find resources that may be of interest. Many of these social bookmarking websites also provide RSS feeds which give subscribers the ability to be notified of updates. They also often provide a means for users to comment and rate various bookmarks. Some examples of some popular social bookmarking websites are digg, reddit, Yahoo! Buzz, StumbleUpon, and del.icio.us. As with social networking websites, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of these sites that are available.
Free social bookmarking toolbars are often found on many websites. These provide an easy and convenient way to encourage visitors to share content on a variety of social networking and social bookmarking websites. A user can simply hover over the toolbar and select which social networking or bookmarking site to add content or a web page. It then takes the user to the chosen site, and the link is then established.
Now that the definitions of Social Media, Social Networking, Social Networking websites and Social Bookmarking websites are established, we can delve deeper into beginning a social media and networking strategy for your business. In part 2 of this series we will discuss why it is important to consider adopting a social media strategy and we offer a few ways you can get started.