Social media is a form of interactions among the people. It allows the people to have conversation, to comment, to be involved in community, to have collaboration, to contribute and to share among themselves. The possibility is almost endless. This is the basis of Web 2.0 that makes all those things possible. It is not really something new, but the new technology has made it simpler for people to interact with each other.

Social media marketing is marketing by utilizing social media. How do we do that? Traditional marketing is normally a one-way communication. The marketer provides information for the people to see, look, hear, feel and taste. Social media and social marketing are two or more ways of communication. There is interactivity involved here. It means there must be participation among the parties and when necessary also conversation, collaboration, contribution and sharing.

Community is another very powerful form of social media. It is formed from conversation among people. Communities may span across various social networks. We just need to know where our existing and target markets are located and get ourselves blended into the community by talking and engaging meaningfully with the people. You can even create a community based around your products or services. Example of existing social networks are Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

From the outlook, social media looks simple. Anyone can setup a blog, create accounts at the social networking sites and start your activities in the network. However, to be effective you need to have commitment and understanding how the things work. Social media is not only about list building and having many friends. It is about meaningful connections with the people.

I would like to end this post with a video on 7 Secrets of Social Media by Perry Belcher. He talks about being remarkable, fun, helpful, supportive, controversial, resourceful and don’t be an “asshole”. I hope you get a good idea or two of how to utilize social media effectively.Social Media Marketing refers to marketing using social media. And, what is social media? Watch this video that explains social media in plain English.

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