VirtuaClass

You always hear people talking about the importance of using social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, Digg and Stumble Upon (just to name a few) because there are literally thousands of social fronts to become a part of use for marketing purposes. I would suggest sticking with the ones that are fairly bigger and more well known until you really understand how social communities work.

I often get asked about how to really market on Facebook because it is so centered around college kids, and just does not have the normal feel of other social media websites. Also, Stumble Upon seems to be difficult for some to grasp (when it comes to marketing opportunities) My suggestion is simple and has two parts.

1. You need to do a better job with your Facebook profile page and letting people know who you are, what online communities you are a part of, and what websites are yours. For example, Facebook gives you opportunities to include what are called “mini feeds” that will automatically update your RSS feeds that you want to include. This gives you an amazing opportunity to get your blog posts, products, content and whatever else in front of all the Facebook users (and friends you have made) that come across your profile.

2. Target the right demographics by taking advantage of the advertising programs Facebook and Stumble Upon offers. Many do not realize the amazing advertising program right in front of you on these sites. If you click on http://www.facebook.com/ads and http://www.stumbleupon.com/ads you will see the advertising programs, but what you may not know at this point is that they will allow you to target specific genders, ages and pretty much anything else you want to. Why is this a big deal? Think about this, if you are selling baby goods and products for infants, then you can target women ages 18 - 35 (or whatever you want it to be etc) but you get my point, you can target the specific people that are most suited for your products, or whatever you are offering on your site.

This is probably one of the best marketing avenues (or methods) that you could pursue if you are trying to market on these two sites. They are pretty cheap too, because both advertising programs start at 5 cents a click. Talk about some amazing cheap traffic that is about as targeted as you can get.

I would also suggest that you make sure to build up your profiles on each of these sites including adding friends, voting for the stuff they like and take advantage of all the features these sites have to offer. You will be more successful with your social media marketing on Facebook and Stumble Upon by using these marketing methods mentioned above and to really know if you are seeing results you need to make sure you have a great web analytics software installed so you can actually track your traffic instead of relying on what they are telling you, or what you are assuming.

I am amazed at how many amazing viral ideas pass through my head on a daily basis, and I still have not figured out if it’s a blessing or a curse! When I say “viral ideas” I am talking about viral marketing ideas, or content that generates a “buzz”. I am not even able to take a picture anymore these days without thinking of someway I could twist it into a story that could generate this buzz I am talking about. In order to understand viral marketing better, you need to have a better understanding of Social Media Marketing, and the concept behind it. Social Media, or web 2.0 is built on the basis that the best content is going to be decided upon by users of the Social Network communities, rather then a search engine algorithm (like Google). If your content is no good, there still is a chance you can get ranked for some pretty decent keywords if you know your way around SEO, but if your content (or website) stinks inside the Social Communities, then it will never get anywhere, and no one will ever find it.

It is all about what the user likes inside these communities, and the friends that they have built up. Once you start to think like a social media marketer, and understand what different communities (of the many) are looking for, when it comes to content, websites, tools, services, products, etc. it makes it easier to utilize them.

The example I always share to help those new to social media marketing, and viral marketing understand it better is this: I have a son that loves his Tonka (brand) Truck, but I promise you he has never used that truck for what I know Tonka intended it be used for. I started taking pictures of the different things that he used this truck for, and I soon had a pretty good list, and pictures to go along with them. I even took some videos of some of the crazy things he would use it for.

The point, and how I can use this for viral marketing?

Lets say I own, or do marketing for a site selling kids toys. If I just try to tell the users of the social communities, about the cool toys I got on my website, then I am trying to market to them, and they feel that I am pushing it down their throat, and these kind of communities don’t like marketers. However, if I were to compile a list (and give it a good link bait title) of “10 Uses of Tonka Trucks that Hasbro Never Intended” or “10 Of the Craziest Uses Of Tonka Trucks Ever Caught On Video” it would do much better in these communities, then just trying to promote the toys on your site. The reason it would do much better is because the content was created for these kind of communities, and I would generate the buzz I need for search engines, build up backlinks, better brand myself and make it easier when it comes to get rankings for keywords.

You see how taking advantage of the situations in front of you can turn you into a social media marketer. If you are thinking like one, then it becomes much easier to do better when it comes to social media marketing and growing your business with this fairly new marketing concept of viral marketing and link baiting!