Does social media marketing work? Really?

A contributor on LinkedIn not so long ago (apologies, I've lost her name) talked with great wisdom about how joining all the social marketing groups – Facebook, LinkedIn, Ecademy etc etc – without then putting any effort into them was like joining a dozen gyms and never getting round to a workout.

This did rather strike a chord. I've signed up for them all. But I don't really know how to make them work for me.

So thanks to the guys at The Internet Consultants Group who gave a Business Link seminar last night on SEO 2.0 – or social marketing in other words. They've given me a few more pointers, and some creditable links for finding out more.

First, Facebook. I didn't know you could have a business page on Facebook. So I've set up one, and allowed a Facebook application to replicate my comments there on Twitter. Keep the social and business side apart though, we were advised. Your profile is social. You have a separate business page.

Now Twitter. Our advisers recommended a blog that offers 50 ideas on using Twitter for business. I'll read that one tomorrow.

Ecademy. Joined a long time ago, and did for a while attend the local group. Maybe it was just the wrong time, but out of a dozen of us, there were two copywriters. Got a bit competitive. What I really need to do, again, is spend the time investigating how to use Ecademy more effectively.

Same with LinkedIn. It can be a really powerful tool – so I constantly hear – but having joined several groups all I see is a large number of people talking, and nobody apparently listening.

There are other groups too. Plaxo I've not investigated. Guru – supposedly great for freelancers – wouldn't let me register. I should get a reply from the helpdesk in two days.

So … I hear what they say. These are tools that can be used effectively to build brands, enhance credibility and perhaps achieve more business. But so far I am still totally convinced that you cannot beat good old-fashioned word-of-mouth recommendations. They have kept me in business for over 20 years. But if the social media marketing works out for me, I'll report back.

Tags: social media marketing, facebook, linkedin, ecademy

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