It’s the start of 2008 and it looks like online social media is still going strong.

If you haven’t heard of social media and social networking sites by now, don’t be embarrassed – you might already be a user. Sites such as Digg, MySpace, Flickr, Facebook, del.cio.us, Wikipedia and Reddit are just a few examples. Blogs can also be included within the social media mix.

“Overall visits to a group of 53 leading social network sites were up 4 percent year over year, and the top sites are becoming a mainstay of many Internet users’ routines,” according to last week’s findings by online market research company eMarketer.

If you have a teenager in your house, they’re probably part of online social network and several different social media networks. But don’t blame the youth; it’s not all a waste of time.  If they’re your target audience, you want to meet them online where they hang out. So, for you cynical traditionally-minded media marketers, the kids are still alright. 

Previously on our blog, guest contributor Louise Rijk discussed some of the benefits of social media marketing to get more visitors to your site.

Rijk defined social media marketing as marketing you start by uploading or bookmarking and tagging content on social media and networking sites. This content can be text, video, audio or even widgets that users put on their sites to distribute your content; and thus, become a sort of brand advocate for your product or service. For more information on brand advocates and social media, read Edwin Wong’s article “Getting the Word (of Mouth) Out.” 

Why use Social Media Marketing?
As Rijk wrote, some benefits of creating a social media marketing campaign include:

• More Links – These campaigns can generate more incoming links.
• More Traffic – Social media marketing campaigns can generate more traffic from profile pages, from links embedded in messages that travel virally throughout the social web.
• More Brand Awareness – These campaigns can create more buzz through visibility, online reputation and authority in the social media.
• Better Media “Legs” – If your message gets enough attention in the social media world, it might get picked up by other, more traditional media, such as mainstream new sites, newspapers, magazines and television.

Social Media Marketing Strategies
If you feel that social media would compliment your marketing mix, you may want to reach your audience via these strategies:
• Submitting a how-to article or tip sheet to a “voting” site like Digg and Reddit
• Bookmarking an article on sites like del.icio.us or ma.gnolia
• Uploading and tagging images up on Flickr, Photobucket, etc.
• Uploading videos to Yahoo! Video, iFilm, YouTube, etc.
• Establishing a business profile at a social media web site like MySpace or Facebook
• Developing your own widget that lets users spread your content on their own sites
Traditional advertising is a one way communication street with advertisers pushing their message(s) to the consumer. Social media, which is also defined as a collection of individuals or groups of person, is all about communicating. Marketing has transformed into a two-way communication street where engagement, honesty, trust and reputation are key attributes.

After some research you may find out that social media is not a good fit right now for your marketing mix. However, for those of you who are interested in learning more about social media here are some great resources:

• SMM in Depth
• Clicking into Social Media
• Tagging the Social Bookmark

– Roger Park, Manager, Marketing Communications