For online marketing, social media can suck up time in non-business oriented digressions. But they can be used to develop relationships and a loyal clientele base. Search engines do not value links to your site from social media sites, but if your links provide information valuable to your followers, you may gain customers.
Most people on social media sites are not targeted to your business, but over time if you press things relevant to your business, your followers will become those interested in your business–or in you. Viewers on social media sites generally do not welcome sales pitches, but you can attract people by giving valuable information–or sometimes humor, if used in a way that ties in with your business in some positive way.
Most social media sites are protected against commercial contributions (except paid advertisements), but they can be a relational stepping stone toward business. And some sites like Twitter are business-friendly. Social media topics may be largely irrelevant to your business, but social media sites are where the people are. For better or for worse, social media is the trend of the future.
Peter Rubel
Tags: online marketing, Social Media
