What is … social media

In recent weeks, we’ve been looking at The Belford Group’s six service areas and sharing more about what each service includes and what it means for our clients. This week, we’re getting social by chatting about …. Social Media.

Photo courtesy of Ethan Hein (c)

So, what is…Social Media?

You’re probably thinking, c’mon, The Belford Group!

We know what social media is. We love playing on Facebook and Twitter. Ah, yes. With Facebook having more than 750 million users (that’s 93 percent of US adult Internet users) and Twitter boasting about 200 million registered accounts, the average person is aware of social media, and knows it is here to stay. (By the way, those links for Facebook and Twitter send you to lots more great information about each site…you should check them out).

But are most people aware of the different forms of social media and how they can be leveraged to increase sales and drive overall business success? Let’s take a look at both issues.

The “why” and five types

At the risk of sounding like we’re announcing the name of a new band, let’s look at the whys and five types of social media.

The “why” is simple.

People -your customers and potential customers- are talking about your business and industry in these social spaces. You need to be a part of that discussion. If a group at a party were discussing your business, you’d want to be a part of that discussion, right? The same is true for social media.

So what are your options?

Here are the five basic types of social media with examples of each type (we will discuss these in more detail in later posts):

• Social Networking-Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+
• Microblogging-Twitter
• Blogging-WordPress, Blogger
• Social sharing-Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Shutterfly, Picasa (the list goes on ….)
• Location-based services-FourSquare, Gowalla, Yelp

A growing number of social media sites can be leveraged to grow business. Photo courtesy of Flickr user M. Keefe

Your social media team

The Belford Group knows how vital social media is to helping our clients so we’ve created an entire team of people to work with our clients.

Our team focuses on building community with current and potential customer base; writing great content that generates interest in the brand and drives traffic to the company’s website; and then analyzing and interpreting data for our clients to explain how using social media has affected their business. The data analysis helps us with our clients make strategic future decisions.

“Like” our social media clients

Each of our clients has a customized plan that reflects their business needs and culture. For example:

• Courtesy Care has both a Facebook and Twitter page that provides tips and information about their home restoration and cleaning services.
• WaterHeaterStore.co also has a Facebook and Twitter page that shares a weekly blog and information about the products found on the e-commerce site.
• Y-BBQ & Catering has a Facebook page that offers specials and information about the restaurant and catering services.

The Belford Group is an experienced image-building marketing and website development agency, with more than a decade spent providing creative marketing and advertising solutions to fit any budget …and any medium.