"SMM mixes online marketing goals with social media sites such as Digg, Flickr, MySpace, YouTube, and many others. Every business or organization's SMM goals will be different, but most will incorporate some type of viral marketing to raise idea or brand awareness, enhance visibility, and maybe sell a product or service.

Online reputation management may also be included in SMM. Because most online communities do not welcome traditional direct or hard sell approaches, executing an effective SMM campaign will take more subtlety. SMM marketing must be targeted to the community you want to attract with an appealing message. Some popular methods include authoritative information, entertainment, humor, or debate."

2007 - Wikipedia

Social media marketing is an indirect means of marketing your company. It is a strong method that applies traditional marketing ideas to programs with social goals, ultimately promoting your business through social media channels. Social media marketing is the new wave of online marketing and could be called an indirect marketing approach.

Traditional marketing focuses on instant sales and is direct. This is who we are, what we do, and why you should buy our product or service right now. Traditional sales cycles vary by industry, but the goal is always the same: close that deal.

The purpose of social media marketing is the same, but the tools to that end are completely different. Attempting to market your product or service on industry forum sites, for example, is often frowned upon.

These forums exist to facilitate the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and networking. Most forums offer an advertising section where firms can pay to advertise. Participating in forums allows you to promote yourself as an industry expert. Sharing your skills and learning from others in your industry or target market increases exposure for you and your company.

You will be providing value to potential consumers if you provide helpful information, make constructive remarks, and ask appropriate questions. They will gradually come to look for more value from you. Naturally, the ultimate worth of your product or service lies in the product or service you are attempting to sell.

The underlying problem with social media marketing is that it takes a significant amount of time and effort to get the intended result, which is the sale. Many business owners either do not have the time to devote to something that does not provide immediate desired results (the delayed gratification theory), or they are resistant to utilizing the powerful social media marketing available options due to its indirect approach to sales and the time it takes to see results.

Social media marketing is essentially the same as online social networking. When you attend a trade show or a company event, you are networking in a social setting with the goal of increasing your customer base. Employees, customers, and potential customers are frequently invited to companies that sponsor golf trips, workplace picnics, and other social events.

What activities do these three kinds of people participate in at these events? They network and socialize. Although some may form friendships at such gatherings, the major purpose for and ultimate goal of such events is to raise the bottom line - that is, the revenues of the firm.

The Internet provides a plethora of networking opportunities via blogs, forums, communities, and, of course, a plethora of social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo, Dzone, Gather, Ryze, Squidoo, Tagged, Xing, and many, many more.

The networking premise is the same, but the platforms are vastly different. Because there are so many sites to choose from , it is a good idea to focus your social networking on sites that are unique to your industry as well as some of the larger, more commonly used generic sites like Facebook, Plaxo, Linkedin, and so on. I like to use business-oriented sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo, although this is purely personal taste.

My Facebook profile, in my opinion, contains information and images that are more appropriate for friends and family than business associates, but others disagree. That is, once again, a matter of personal preference.

Consider traditional (or direct) marketing to be a one-way communication channel and social media marketing to be a two-way communication channel for the sake of this discussion. In traditional marketing, a company may send you a direct mailer, an email, or an advertisement in a magazine. These forms of marketing strategies are expensive for the company and may not always result in high volumes of sales. Consider taking part in two-way discussions on forums, blogs, and other social networking sites. You, as a representative of your company, are having "conversations" with potential customers and, presumably, giving valuable material. (content is King in social media marketing). Over time, you and your company will become more visible (as your internet presence grows), your reputation and value will grow, and your prospective clients will know who you are, the value of what you are selling, and where to find you.

I constantly try to put myself in the shoes of the other person to understand where they are coming from. I never buy anything without first researching the product or service I'm thinking about purchasing on the Internet. I read the reviews as well as what other people are saying about the competing product or service. Having said that, why should I expect anyone else not to do the same? If you consider social media marketing in these terms, its usefulness, despite being a time-consuming process, may become clear to you.

It is critical to remember that social networks have enormous and engaged audiences. Social media marketing can be extremely beneficial to any business because it complements your brand (an extremely significant topic in and of itself), business, and online profile. However, social media marketing requires effort and considerable dedication, but the end result will be well worth your time.

Whether a business owner believes in the usefulness of social media marketing or not, there is no denying that the Internet is the new frontier for marketing. Social media has taken on a life of its own, and if you have not gone on board, you will be left behind. Social media marketing can be extremely beneficial to any business because it enhances your brand, business, and online reputation.