21thirteen Design Says Social Media Marketing is More Than Just Posting Links

May 25, 2011 - PRLog -- NEW YORK CITY - 21thirteen Design of New York said many businesses use their social media marketing (SMM) efforts to post links to products and discuss new ventures. Businesses new to the social media realm lack the understanding to know that social media is essentially built on interaction. You want your Twitter followers and FaceBook fans to interact with you. In return, they want you to interact with them.

“You want people to discuss you and your products. But, if you're going to just observe and not participate in the discourse, then your social media marketing efforts aren't being properly conducted,” owner Bob Alba said. “It's kind of like being at a party and people are discussing you, but you choose to stand against the wall and view your surroundings.”

What kind of things can you do to properly use SMM? Alba recommended the following:
1. Follow your followers. “They followed you because they are interested in what you have to say. You should follow them because you want to be interested in what they have to say.”
2. Retweet. “If someone you're following tweets something interesting, retweet that to your followers. Retweets often offer some of the best online discourse, allowing others to chime in on the topic.”
3. Acknowledge a post or tweet directed at you. “If someone posts on your FaceBook fan page wall with a question, you should do everything you can to answer it. This will make the asker feel comfortable enough with your business to pass the word along to their friends and family.”
4. Interact, interact, interact. “This cannot be stressed enough. Social media is all about interaction. For your efforts to be worth the time, you have to interact with fans and followers.”
5. Be consistent. “There are many software packages and web applications (TweetDeck, FutureTweets and Twuffer, to name a few) that can be used to schedule Tweets and FaceBook posts. Write your messages ahead of time and then set them up to go live on a regular schedule.”
6. Post quality, not quantity. “If you're consistent, then it shouldn't matter how much you post. Sending out quality content is what people will remember. Don't drench your network in promotional pieces. Sending stellar content will help engage your visitors and better represent your brand.”

Alba said it takes a lot of time and effort to execute a great SMM plan. It includes strategic business consultation, planning, marketing and brand strategies, and editing text.

Alba said, “This time and effort is ultimately worth it in the end, as SMM gives you a better foothold for market research, word-of-mouth advertising and customer development.”

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About 21thirteen design: 21thirteen design is a New York based web design, web development and Internet marketing company with offices in Philadelphia, Boston and New Jersey. Online at www.21thirteen.com.