Core Business Solutions Advice

I hear this question many times per month: " Why should I use Social Media as part of my marketing strategy?" To me the golden rule in marketing should be 'People Buy From Those They Know, Like and Trust.'  Social Media platforms are just the place for people to get to know and like you and even trust your business. I don't think anyone can deny that Social Networking is big and only getting bigger. Social networks are going to become more important to any business operating on the Internet.

Over 85% of marketers claim the number-one advantage of social media marketing is generating exposure for a business.

Social Media tools like Facebook and Twitter can help you in three ways:

1. Building your status as an expert or guru in your business. This helps your prospects to know and like you and your business. You keep exposing your knowledge and expertise to all those who discover you on Social Media, many of which will be prospects for your product or service.
2. Social Media can drive traffic to your website. As your prospects go to your website from your Blog or your company Face Book Fan Page for more detailed info about your product or service a comfortable sense of trust develops as your website provides even more detailed information about you and your company.
3. Social Media can create back links to help raise your ranking on Google thus providing additional search engine optimization. 

So how big is Social Media at this point? Here are just a few brief facts to give you an idea:

• Since March 2010 Facebook tops Google in Internet traffic in the US
• Social Media is the #1 activity on the Internet
• 96% of the millennial (Y) generation [those born since 1980] is on a Social Network
• 1 out of 8 couples now getting married in the US met via social media
• If Face Book were a country its 500 million members  would be the third largest country in population behind India and China
• Fastest growing segment of Face Book is females age 55-65
• Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears have more Twitter Followers that the entire populations of Sweden, Israel, Ireland, Norway and Panama
• YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world
• Wikipedia has over 15 million articles and studies show its as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica...78% of the articles are not in English!
• 34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands-what are they saying about your brand?
• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations, only 14% trust ads
• Only 18% of traditional ad campaigns generate a positive ROI

Because of Social Media 'Word of Mouth has now become World of Mouth' according to best selling author Erik Qualman in his book "Socialnomics".  In his book Qualman says "The ROI of Social Media is your business will still exist in 5 years." 

So Social Media is not a fad, it's a basic shift in communication. We don't have a choice on whether to use Social Media, the real question is 'How well will we do it?"

If you want more info on how to manage your Social Media Marketing campaign, I'd be happy to help you.

In the next few weeks I'll post another article to help business owners work "on" their business.

Until Next Time : Live Simply, Speak Kindly, Care Deeply, Love Generously and Live In The Moment


All The Best,

Walt Morey

Core Business Solutions

Executive Business Advisor Accredited by the Institute for Independent Business

http://www.corebizsolution.com