Social media isn’t just changing the way the Internet works – it’s changing the way we think about information and advice. Is your website a source of information, advice, and feedback? Could it be the center of strategic thinking in your industry or organization?
Social media has taken the online marketing world by storm, but the next generation of changes won’t just come from sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn – they’re going to come from smaller, more focused organizations that want to create knowledge resources for their customers or industry.
Integrating social features – like profiles, posts, and interconnected relationships – turns your site from a marketing tool into a self-fueling learning and promotion resource. By having colleagues and customers come to you, share their thoughts, and then both begin and respond to discussions, you place your business at the center of every new trend and idea that comes along.
Social marketing websites can be built around a particular industry, type of customer, or even hobby. They’re perfect for businesses that need to share lots of information, organizations that are supported by their
members, and groups with extensive e-learning needs.
Social marketing websites can be a wonderful tool for bringing employees together, improving real-time communication, and making your company faster and more efficient.
By building achievements into your social marketing website – such as awards for a certain number of posts, etc. – you create incentives for visitors to keep coming back and build customer loyalty at the same time.
File-sharing features make it easy for a company or organization to let its members quickly spread articles, data, or even real-world tips and best practices.
Why not use your social marketing website to promote upcoming events, discussions, webinars, and other calendar items?
Want to give visitors the ability to add friends, point out professional affiliations, or review vendors they have worked with? It’s all up to you to decide what kind of information they can share, publicly or privately.
