What is Social Media and Web 2.0?

Getting your website found online isn’t just about PPC and SEO. Now often termed ‘traditional’ online marketing tools, they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wealth of digital marketing tools available.

So where do you start? Why not with one of the most talked about phenomenon in recent months – social media…

What is Social Media?

Social Media is the marketing term that has been given to a breed of online websites that facilitate greater interaction with an online audience. Social Media sites allow two-way interaction between online content owners and their audience. It enables website visitors to engage, interact and contribute to content. It also enables site owners to syndicate content out to other sites and online channels, and gives them the ability to easily aggregate relevant, related content from other sources into their own sites.

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is the term given to the tools and techniques that form the core of many Social Media sites and channels. Techniques such as Blogs, Social Bookmarking, Syndication, RSS, and Aggregation are some of the popular terms that you may have heard of. However, there are also many more available to you as a business.

What does this mean to you as a business?

By empowering your audience with the ability to contribute to the content on your site, you will gradually build a strong relationship with them and develop brand loyalty. The web is no longer a faceless medium. In doing this, you will become an authority in your market sector and you will build trust through personal recommendation and the informed opinions available on your site. Your employees will feel more valued through recognition of their contribution and you will build a more personal bond with your customers through better engagement on a real-time level.

How can I use Social Media?

A clearly defined Social Media strategy will identify the Social Media channels that will best engage your stakeholders, from employees and clients, to suppliers and investors.

So what can I do?

Here are a few tried and tested techniques that you can use to start embracing social media:

1. Write a blog

You’re reading this one, so that’s proof enough that they work! Blogs are a great way of informally communicating with your audience, and they cost nothing more than your time! They’ll also improve your SEO, which is always a good thing!

2. Get Digging

Add social bookmarking tools to all of your news and product pages which will allow your visitors to easily bookmark and share your content with their own networks. Sites such as Digg and Del.icio.us are a good starting point.

3. YouTube

Youtube now receives more traffic than Google.com. That’s proof enough that user generated content (UGC) is fuelling the new web. Try and think of unique and novel ways that you can use YouTube to promote your products and services.

4. Twitter

Twitter is a great way of keeping tabs on your friends, colleagues and workforce. Many people don’t get it initially, but once you do, you’ll be hooked!

5. Get Networking

Sites such as LinkedIn, Plaxo and Facebook are amazing resources for getting in touch with people, generating leads, raising brand awareness and much more. They’re also becoming powerful business to business (B2B) tools, enabling companies to effortlessly communicate with their stakeholders.

So how do I know what to use?

That’s where we come in. With a wealth of digital marketing experience, we’re the right people to talk to about all of the above and more. To see what Evolve can do for your business online, please drop me an email: oliver@bluhalo.com