Everyone Wants Social Marketing

At least that's what we keep hearing from small businesses, and with good cause. Facebook outranked Google last year for the most visited site in the entire world. Because of information required for registration, social networks allow you to very specifically target those people who would be interested in your product.

Social Marketing is Cheap – Right?

One of the reasons we keep hearing entrepreneurs wanting to use social media for advertising is the cost. It’s free to register an account at most social networks, and if you build it they will come…right?

Unfortunately it's not quite that simple. When it comes to social networking, it's going to cost at least one of two things: time and/or money.

The network you choose, and the method in which you choose to leverage it, is either going to cost you time to maintain and manage it, or money to advertise and/or have someone else engaging on your behalf. Either way, social marketing is not free.

Social Marketing Options

Looking at the social landscape, there are many options of where to spend your time and money. You can get a quick idea of which one may be right for you with a social landscape graphic published by CMO.com. The common options for social marketing and engagement include:

Choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.

Crusader from Indiana Jones: Last Crusade

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Blog Networks
• MySpace
• Social Bookmarking
• And More!

"Choose wisely", as the Crusader from Indian Jones: Last Crusade said, "for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you." In terms of Social Marketing, you can spend an exorbitant amount of time, not to mention money, attempting to engage your market, and not see a return unless you know where to focus your resources, and how to do it effectively.

Using Professionals Doesn't Break the Bank

Many small business owners think they can't afford to use professional Internet Marketers to help them gain the advantage over the social space. Whether you need some one-on-one training for how to leverage the social networks to engage your target market, or need to retain someone to handle message delivery and distribution, Holistic Visibility is the right choice for your business.