Engage your Market with the Use of Social Media Marketing

Both your customers and your competitors are flocking to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and        YouTube.  The problem is that most companies don’t understand how to use social media sites to effectively engage potential customers – instead they sign up and wait for the people to come to them. “Social Engagement” is effectively participating in the online social activities but shouldn’t be confused with a selling or promotional activity. It is done through influence and relationship building, not through the use of propaganda.
To effectively use social engagement you first need to indentify which site is going to give you the best return. While mainstream sites offer a vast audience it’s sometimes better to target niche (interest specific) outlets and be a big fish in a small pond. You need a presence on the mainstream sites but niche sites allow you to target those people who are really passionate members of your target market - people who have enough passion to seek out a niche social site are clearly going to be a great for reaching other passionate people.
After you have identified your social outlets (both mainstream and niche) you need to contribute to (not control) the existing conversations. You could:
•    find an existing conversation regarding a specific topic and write a response
•    research a great article and point the readers to it
•    post videos that will entertain enlighten or amaze
•    consider adding a handy tool or resource like a “widget” or an “app”. 
Don’t forget to keep up the momentum. Just like in sales, you’ll need to keep adding new members to your online conversation to replace the members that are leaving. Keep inviting others to join your conversation and promote your social groups on your company’s website, at industry events and tradeshows, in email newsletters and through other forms of advertising.  
Post often and continue posting at a somewhat regular pace, but don’t monopolize the conversation. This means you need to have an ongoing time commitment for a member of your staff or hire a social media agency. 
Use these simple steps to effectively engage your target market online and create life long relationships.