What is social media and social media marketing?

[Lee]

[LOPEZ]

What is social media?

Social media is a broad term used to describe the various tools, networks and technologies for sharing content, ideas and knowledge and connecting and collaborating online. It encompasses wikis, podcasts, blogs, social networks, forums, message boards and other viral-type platforms where communities of people come together.

Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing (a/k/a viral or buzz marketing) is a form of Web marketing that seeks to increase visibility, drive traffic, better communications and foster awareness of a brand, organization, event or idea. This approach is quick and aggressive, and costs next to nothing to initiate a campaign.



Social Media Marketing?

SMM on the other hand plays more of an active role in relation to social media by referring to the creation and distribution of content and other messages through the social web by some form of viral marketing. This can be anything from creating compelling content that gets bookmarked and even hits digg's homepage to spreading a viral video by putting it on YouTube and other social media websites. It's about the things that are done off-site, for example, participating in online communities where your customers hang out would be an active role that falls under SMM.

Social media marketing uses social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to engage with prospects on an ongoing basis. Social media sites encourage discussions, feedback and sharing of information between you and your prospects.

Social media marketing has really sprouted its wings within the last couple of years And its no wonder, YouTube has about 28,000,000 viewers and Facebook has over 100,000,000 users...and over 50% log in daily. That's why social media marketing is essential to your businesses success.

You'll see immediate benefits like prospect awareness of your "brand", you'll become closer to your customers and find out more about their needs, you'll build