As the cost of advertising increases with the reduction in economic spending, small and large businesses, together, are trying to find marketing strategies through social networks. The advantages that a social network marketing policy offers the business owner is reflected in the synergy generated with such social media optimization services, such as micro-blogs, via social marketing outlets. However, in this review we will see that they quickly become perplexed because they are trying to build friends, produce fan pages, set up Twitter accounts, set up LinkedIn profiles, etc. 

Can you see the misunderstanding here?

The business owner (looking for marketing) has started a social media networking programme and NOT a social media marketing programme.  They have become confused and have set off down the wrong path right away.

One of the biggest errors that Internet business marketers make is thinking that they should launch a social media marketing initiative inside of social media networking environments (like Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

Social media marketing and social media networking are two totally dissimilar initiatives.

For example, one of the largest and most popular micro-blogging platforms is Twitter.  If I Google “Twitter Marketing Strategy”, the search engine provides some 35 million results. 

One of today’s popular Twitter Marketing Strategies is a piece of software developed by Shelly Ryan, entitled Turbo Cash Generator (Google result: 404,000).  If I want to offer that programme I face a lot of opposition.

I believe that a blog is not the place to sell any sort of product or service.

I think that the majority of people who are looking for a long term, steady, income from their blogging efforts put the cart before the horse.

To take advantage of the power of “word of mouth” marketing that can be harnessed by using a growing number of Social Media networks (Digg, Social Median, Facebook etc.), you have to make a paradigm shift in your marketing stance… i.e. let’s look at the horse for a moment.

Put simply, the business owner should take a scientific approach to the “marketing” of him/herself in social networks – not his/her products or service.

Put it like this.

   1. I meet you at a cocktail party given by a mutual friend. We get on well.

   2. You invite you over to your place where I meet a lot of your other friends. I find that, you, your friends and I have a lot of things in common.

   3. I like your place. I like your friends. I like you. I don’t find people pushing their face into yours, shouting “Look at Me!”. I have a good time. I become a frequent visitor.

   4. When you ask for my opinion about Turbo Cash Generator, I feel good… I like it when people ask me my opinion, makes me feel valued.

   5. Actually, I’d like Turbo Cash Generator for myself – where can I get it?

1. and 2. come about by taking a scientific approach to Social Media Marketing and syndicating your blog across the Social Networks.

3. Is your blog or forum, the place where you network socially. It is your front door, with a huge “welcome” sign.

It is NOT the place where you drive people away with a display of goods.

4. Is just one example of you, the business owner, being sociable, your networking. You might even invite me to write a review on that programme, or whatever, for your blog.

5. If you don’t know what 5. is, I’ve wasted my time writing this article.

The majority of people do not like being sold to, but most people want to buy at some time.

By taking that position, all the theories about tags, silos, sub-domains, duplicate penalty, SEO, keywords etc., normally connected to web site design and marketing, becomes inapplicable… it’s only greasing the axle on your cart.

By harnessing the importance of social approval through a scientific approach, YOU become the centre of attention. YOU propagate the buzz.

By your popularity and relevance, YOU lead the horse (Google), it will follow YOU… pulling the cart behind.

Sales just happen.