Nevertheless, there are tactics available that can maximize your social media marketing effectiveness.
If you have not yet created a Facebook page for your brand, you must do that first. You should also look at opportunities available on Twitter, MySpace and Linked In. With those in place, apply these three tactics.
Tactic #1: Create Your Own Social Media Marketing Profile
Who are you? What is your background? What are your objectives? What do you do or would like to do. Your profile can be as detailed or as fanciful as you like, remembering that credibility is critical in social media.
The social media profile can differ from social media site to site. For example a LinkedIn personal profile might be more of an online resume, detailing all of the previous companies one has worked for in the past, where as the LinkedIn company profile can focus more on the company's products, services, vendors and customers. Facebook and Twitter profiles can be set up for a company to communicate effectively with the new generation of consumers who depend on social media marketing to make decisions.
Tactic #2: Reach As Many People As You Can
Sites such Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Linked In, are frequented everyday by millions of potential customers. Each has its own distinct approach to its subscribers.
However, expect a degree of socially acceptable behavior. Unfortunately, flat-out, unadorned advertising is not considered socially acceptable by most users. That said, almost every visitor to Facebook is there be entertained or informed. An approach to this audience that features a friendly tone and that promises a benefit has an excellent chance of making customers and brand evangelists out of visitors.
By learning the different ways to reach people on each site, you can reach a wide audience without ever purchasing an ad on the site. For example on Twitter, retweeting the top tweets (the insiders term for a Twitter message) of the day can attract people to your page through searches.
Using URL link shortening services allows you to track how many people actually clicked on your tweet or status update as opposed to clicking on the URL page directly.
Tactic #3: Build An Audience
Solicit friends, fans and followers through mutual contacts and other online and offline vehicles, in order to qualify prospects from among the millions who may be exposed to your Facebook messages, your tweets and your postings on LinkedIn.