Social Media is a fairly new process of marketing and interaction with an audience. It pertains to the creation of highly scalable and accessible content with unique publishing techniques. Many advertisers and marketers have turned to Social Media Advertising (SMA) as it has yielded quantifiable results in web traffic to a website or given destination. SMA is a combination of web-based technologies that combine together to transform media monologues delivered to a large audience of users. Some of today's most popular social media networks are Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. These particular networks are filled with a large audience of users across the Globe that are seeking information and interacting with each other.
Social Media - A Content Driven Platform
One of the great reasons to advertise on these particular social media networks lies in the sole reason that it is filled with user generated content and constant contribution. Social Media supports the democratization of knowledge and information which transforms regular users or consumers into content driven producers. Whether you are an individual seeking to create buzz about yourself or a business aiming to target new prospects your resources and untapped potential are left to your imagination. A couple of acronyms to be familiar with when working around social media are User-Generated Content (UGC) or Consumer-Generated Media (CGM).
Facebook - Network & Social Media
Currently holding the #1 spot as the heavy-weight of all social media networks. A collection of some 350,000,000+ active subscribers and growing on daily basis yields potential to be advertising in and spreading the word about your products and services. Facebook was started by Mark Zuckerberg, an American entrepreneur that defined social media by launching a website from his dorm room. For the longest time Facebook was only open for registration to students with a college e-mail address account. Once registration to all general public was opened Facebook experienced a substantial increase in usability as account creation increased. Some of the key features of Facebook include:
- Applications - sharing of content thru various gateways and forms of interaction.
- Profile Page - each user is assigned a default profile page per creation of new account.
- Fan Page - a great tool to promote your company, products, and services.
- Group - gathering of common interest amongst individuals or simply ground for interaction with new potential prospects.
- NewsFeed - implement your favorite RSS feeds into one location and/or profile.
- Full list of Facebook features
Twitter - Network & Social Media Opportunities
Twitter is a fairly new social media network that has emerged only within the last few years. Since its initial launch everyone has been skeptical about the usage and effectiveness of this network. As the years piled on more and more users joined the Twitter Social Media Network and began contributing to what has come to be known the Twitter follower train. Your main goal on Twitter is to let your followers know "What's happening?". Active user interaction and constant activity of your profile defines who you are and what you do. Whether your account is used for personal or business purposes you can create a fairly good amount of buzz and state your point across rather quickly. Twitter users and businesses will "Tweet" just about anything. Twitter offers a great opportunity with connecting and attracting new prospects on the fly. If you are in the need to know about something right at this moment then you can also follow the "Local Trends". These are a collection of topics discussed at the moment and ones that share most interest by users of Twitter.
MySpace - A Place for Friends
Crowned as the first social media network and one to create the most buzz about user interaction and content contribution. MySpace offers unlimited options for connecting with people you may know to promoting your music or business. When creating a new account with MySpace you are actually creating a new profile page for yourself, your band, or business. The regular MySpace layout offers great options as far as look and feel for individuals looking to network with friends and family. The business side of this social network offers MySpace Advertising and MySpace Music.
- MySpace Advertising - designed to target the market place and attract potential new prospects toward your business. While this options remains affordable even for the small business owner it may not produce ultimate results for niche oriented business. A perfect example for usage of MySpace Advertising would be a business focused on Media & Entertainment.
- MySpace Music - focused toward Bands and Solo artists. It's a great way to create a unique page that shows off your talent and attracts attention to your visitors. MySpace Music also offers enhanced functionality to the way that you can customize the look and feel of your page. This includes custom HTML and CSS styling that can help give your page the look you're seeking to create.
