Are you a Twitter?: Traditional vs. Social Marketing

December 2008 | Posted by Carolyn Pikoulas
If you haven't heard yet -- Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' daily updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. It is just one of the many online social marketing tools available on the web to help businesses drive traffic to their websites. Along with relevant content within your website and blog, social networking sites may also help with your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It's all about getting your company in front of your customers.

Statistics show that searchers click in the organic search results 85% more often than the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Sponsored Links because they trust that the organic results have the info they're looking for. Most educated Google users have come to realize that the Sponsored Links are geared toward shoppers; regular links are geared toward people who are mainly interested in relevant information. That means a #1 ranking in the organic search results will bring you more targeted traffic than paying for PPC ads. Visitors that find you through organic search results are totally free, so there's a very high ROI. That also means that it's more important than ever to utilize every possible tool to try to push your website to the top of the results list. You may not see immediate results, but by investing time and money each month, you can gradually build your site up to attract lots of traffic.

The old days of traditional marketing are not as hot as they used to be. Most consumers find businesses themselves, instead of the other way around. That's why your website must be at the top of your marketing efforts, so that it'll appear within the "Golden Triangle" on Google (the area on the search results list that attracts the most clicks).

Traditional Marketing is all about "outbound" reach: cold calling, direct mail, TV commercials, Radio, unsolicited e-mails, etc. They work by interrupting the customer's daily life. On the other hand, Social Marketing strives to engage the customer and allow them to find information about the company on their own time through Google searches, blogs, Social Networks, etc.

Consumers are always finding new ways to tune out unwanted advertising messages, whether changing the channel on TV during a commercial, emptying their Spam inboxes or screening phone calls with Caller ID. More and more are turning to the internet to find what they really want through forums, blogs and searches. They can read other consumers' opinions, reviews, and news articles about the product or business before making a sale.

Another valuable tool with Social Marketing is the ability to measure ROI. Measuring Outbound Marketing can be elusive and expensive. But using web analytics in real time helps companies measure every marketing tactic and discover which areas they need to improve on or eliminate. You can find out about how many visitors arrive at your site and what pages they visit; website conversion rates (how many people contact you through the site); cost analysis (per lead or sale).

Find out how to use the many Social Marketing sites for business HERE>>

Why not give Twitter a try? Here are some reasons why it can be a cool tool to try out for your business:

• Drive Traffic: Use Twitter to raise awareness and generate targeted traffic to your blog or website.
• Build Brand Awareness: Maintain your brand by keeping users informed about your services.
• Share Resources: Twitter allows you to both share and collect relevant resources that are related to your industry. Post interesting links to articles with valuable information for your readers to keep them coming back.
• Connect: Have 24/7 direct access with other industry professionals around the world for a virtual brainstorm. Find out about your overseas colleagues. How do they deal with today's economy? You can forge personal relationships with other like-minded business owners.
• Develop a Community: It's not all about business here--you get to know people personally, which adds another dimension to the conversations.
• Quick and Easy: In this fast-paced world of iPhones and Blackberries, Twitter makes it super easy to post content on the go.

With Twitter or any other Social Marketing tool, you must be purposeful in how you engage your audience. You get what you put in. It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain your online presence, but it's all worth it when your website is more easily found by your customers.

Follow Wilmington Design on Twitter!

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