• By 2010 Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers. 96% of Generation Y have joined a social network. Source: Grunwald Associates National Study
• Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube has overtaken porn as the top activity on the web. Source: Huffington Post
• The percentage of companies using LinkedIn as their primary source for finding new employees is 80%. Source: Jobvite Social Recruitment Survey

Video source: Socialnomics.net |  Vimeo

Read more: Part one: Social media and web marketing techniques

The fastest growing and simplest way to market your business is by using social networking techniques for marketing.  This term encompasses a variety of methods and is also referred to as Internet Marketing or Social Media.  Some examples are:

1.    Blogging: Many businesses choose to utilize internet marketing by creating and maintaining a blog.  Content should be updated regularly to keep visitors coming back, and can include online discount coupons and special offers for your internet customers.  This form of social media is particularly suited to providing a personal touch to your marketing strategy since the tone of blogs is often informal.

2.    E-mail marketing: Many small business owners ask their customers to voluntarily provide their e-mail addresses and will then send updates, advance notice on sales or special promotions, and coupons.  This is not to be confused with spam, which is unsolicited e-mail and should be avoided as an online marketing tool.

3.    Social Networking Accounts:  Establishing a page on a social media site such as Facebook can increase your business’s exposure dramatically.  This form of marketing may also include a Twitter account for more up-to-the-minute updates on your business.

4.    Website: One of your most vital marketing tools today is a company website.  Potential customers no longer flip through voluminous phone books to find the business or service they are looking for.  Their first choice is usually a search engine that will point them to your website.  This form of online marketing requires striking a balance between eye-catching design and utility and ease of navigation. Business owners that are strapped for cash and whose first time it is for owning a website may look for template options, but with some more experience, a small business owner may later hire a web design company to provide better branding, stronger design, integrated social media and clean coding.

Internet marketing is no longer considered to be in its infancy and there are now many outstanding opportunities to grow a small business with the proper targeting of social networking techniques.  Business owners in Kentucky know that any form of marketing is dependent on knowing your intended customers and customizing your strategy to reach them. Social networking techniques for marketing are no different in this regard but have the advantage of often being able to be implemented with less money and provide higher returns than traditional marketing methods.

The internet is a key resource for advertisers and for public relations. Cost and the ability to measure Return On Investment are key reasons for moving towards the web with both advertising and PR. When combined with off-line efforts, online marketing with social media engagement can be extremely effective at winning new relationships, strengthening reputation, and expanding visibility.

Dos and Donts Guidelines
Social media strategies should take into consideration various dos and don’ts for how employees should conduct themselves online. We feel it is not productive to discourage employees from joining and participating in social media. In fact, there may be a lot to lose from have employees disconnected from social online engagement. One strategy is to keep private accounts personal. Don’t allow employees to speak on behalf of the company. Give them clear guidelines on how to handle questions or comments directed at their company. Provide employees with a point person in the PR department. Also give them links to the company website for reference, rather than allowing them to make the mistake of answering a question wrong and causing damage to a company reputation. If the employee is blogging on a topic related to their work, provide them topical guidelines and require them to post a clear disclaimer that 1.) the employee is NOT blogging on behalf of the company and 2.) the opinions do NOT reflect the opinions and beliefs held by the company.

Employees can be great ambassadors of a brand. Enthusiasm and excitement from employees can reflect well upon the company. In certain cases, companies may want to consider maintaining social media accounts a requirement for certain types of employees, and requiring such online engagement a job requirement. This may help companies become more in tune with their customer base and with their industry.

Social Media Accounts
Some employees will have personal social media accounts from a range of service providers such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning or Delicious. For this reason, we advise companies that they should create some ground rules for social engagement. Don’t drive your employees underground by banning their accounts altogether, which just creates an air of distrust and bitterness. Simply provide them with rules for how they can acknowledge and not acknowledge their professional lives.

Blogging
Blogging is perhaps one of the oldest forms of social media engagement. Many people own personal blogs and use these blogs as a central hub for all their social media engagement. We suggest business managers become aware of such blogs, but do not discourage them. Try to imbue good stewardship guidelines for personal blogs with your employees. It is important to honor copyright laws with images and text for example and showing respect towards piers. However treading too heavily into an employee’s personal affairs can be demoralizing and can hurt valuable relationships. This is why unified guidelines are our recommendation.

Encourage quality
It may be beneficial to provide some employees with a basic how-to guide for social media engagement. Give them some reference points. For example, explain how “hard selling” a product or service is generally frowned upon in the online community. Encourage them to be participants rather than snake-oil sales people. The online social universe is all about dialogue and conversation–not forcing products down each others throats. If you, as a business manager, do not feel qualified to write a persuasive how-to guide for social media then simply link to the many, good quality references sources on the web. Education is a two way street.

Legalities
It is always best to consult your legal team when drafting these guidelines. Legal advice can save time and money. Remember, keep the language clear and readable, so that employees have a good understanding of what is possible and what is discouraged.