Social Media Marketing by Tomahawk Marketing - Los Angeles Based Internet Marketing Company

Building your business through the web, social media and traditional tools.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

What is social media?
Here’s a mind bender definition from Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein. They define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content."

Simply put, social media puts communication in the hands of the user, allowing individuals to use web technology to create and exchange information such as pictures, videos and information. What makes it amazing is that it allows for the following to take place to a degree that was unimaginable even 10 years ago:

• Information or communication can be shared again and again. This is called “viral” and it allows for information to spread far, wide and swiftly.
• Users can respond or reciprocate to the communication. But it is far more than just commenting or answering. The users are empowered to grow and expand the conversation so that it takes on a life of its own.

This has powerful potential for businesses. Not only can a business build its circle of friends and fans BUT when properly done the communication does not stop at that circle. Every fan or friend has a circle of their own, which is now potentially exposed to the businesses message, branding and communications.

There is another important factor to Social Media.
We all know that word of mouth is the highest quality promotion a business can have. People are far more likely to buy a product or choose a service when the people they trust make recommendations. No other form of media or promotion has ever come close in terms of the power that social media possesses to make this happen.

Why Social Media is Important to You and Your Business
Number one reason? The Internet is THE PLACE people go for information on products, companies and services. Statistically, over 80% of people that saw something advertised on TV went to the Internet and investigated before making a purchase. And guess what? Social media is the number one activity on the web.

And social media is not just for teenagers and kids. In 2010, a study was done showing that the number of social media users 65 or older grew by 100%. In fact, over 1 in 4 people in that age group are active in social media sites.

Traditional media, such as advertisements, direct mail or radio, is far from dead and still has a valid place in a business’s marketing line-up. But it no longer carries the weight it used to and is certainly far from the number one player. In the past, a direct mailer piece would go out, hopefully strike a chord with a customer and they would show up to do business. Today that has all changed. The Internet and social media have put them in the driver’s seat. They don’t wait for postcards and mailers. They go on the Internet and search for specials and deals.

They look at their friend’s Facebook page to see whom they are doing business with. They will search Yelp and Google Places to see what others recommend. And if they do look at a direct mail piece, what do you think their next action is likely to be? You got it–they go on the web and check things out.

One Final Reason that Social Media and the Web Make Sense
They are cost effective. Dollar for dollar, nothing comes close to the Return on Investment businesses get from well executed web-marketing and social media programs.

Printing, postage and media buy costs can be really expensive and unreliable. The world’s most beautiful mailer can produce squat in terms of new customers or products sold. Even worse, there is nothing you can do about it. Once it’s been printed and mailed that piece is a “done deal” whether it makes one dime in business or not. It is permanent.

With the Internet the element of permanence is far less. Not only does one have the ability to track responses with rapidity, one can make changes mid-stream to a campaign or message in a timely fashion. This is a capability that is impossible for traditional media.

And the beauty of it is that the information gained from web marketing can be fed back into the traditional media campaigns, boosting their results and ROI.

Give us a call today and find out how our web marketing and social media programs can blow the rooftop off your business growth.