Social Networking Sites: Changing The Face Of Online Marketing

At the start of the social network big bang, as people scrambled to join up or be left out, some had staunchly declared that they would never give in to the social pressure of signing up and creating their profiles. If friends drifted out of touch because of that, then so be it. Eventually though, they gave in to the pressure and signed up for accounts and created and designed their own profiles.

People are social beings by nature. We don't always want to be with other people, but we do like to know how and what they're doing. Social networks are a way for us to stay in touch while keeping our distance. They are also, somewhat conflictingly, a way for us to narrow the gap and build closer, more intimate non-physical relationships. People ultimately share on social networks. They share thoughts, virtual hugs, news, opinions and recommendations, and other kinds of content.

So ultimately, online social networks are the one of the best ways considered to succeed in online marketing. In the world of online marketing, the sharing of content, news, opinions and recommendations is quite important. Numerous studies and researches have shown that people attach great worth to recommendations from other people, particularly from those within their social circles.

Search patterns are changing and new ways are emerging. Instead of entering a few keywords in a search engine to find local electricians or accountants, people log in to their Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, or other social network accounts and ask their friends. Good and bad experiences are readily shared and that goes a long way toward making or breaking business reputations.

Many online marketers are recognizing and heeding the importance of engaging in social networking themselves. This helps them to establish brand awareness, creditability, build up their reputation as sellers, and to initiate damage control, should events not go according to plan.

Business-minded people or online marketers, as they call them, join social networking sites for a number of reasons. These are for promoting their products, to keep them updated on trends of their selected industries, to establish links for customers and competitors alike for sharing of information, and lastly, to keep their targeted audiences and customers informed of product developments and other activities related to their niche.

Whatever the reasons for joining up, online marketers need to remember that social networks are interactive and require constant updating to maintain public interest. They need to engage in dynamic conversations, not only on their pages, but also on competitor pages. Marketers need to be as visible as possible because out of "site" profiles and pages equals out of mind. They also need to brace themselves because not all comments that come their way will be favorable. It's imperative that companies know how to respond to negative feedback rationally and calmly so that they don't alienate their audience.

Another aspect of social networking that online marketers need to consider is that these days, people devote more time to networking than Internet surfing. People's experience of the Web has changed, which means that businesses now have to vie with social sites, as well as competitors, for online attention. This has lead to many companies advertising on social networks.

Advertising on social networks has many advantages:

• Chances of reaching the right audience are improved because they're all huddled together.

• Niche networking sites that cater to particular fields or interest groups can be targeted.

• Campaigns can be tailored to specific groups, rather than assuming generic, all encompassing forms, the success of which is quite hit-and-miss.

The key is not to put all of your marketing eggs in one great big social basket. While social networking has been around for a while, and many experts predict that it will be around for many years to come, don't underestimate the public's low threshold for boredom. Many people who jumped on the social bandwagon when it first set out, now suffer from social overload and don't even remember the passwords to their accounts.

While it is good to engage in social networking to promote and market your products, keep in mind that social networking sites, while they are the craze right now, might not last forever. So while it's still hot, jump on in right now and profit from it.