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The
  Beginner’s
   Guide To
Social Media
 & Networks
      Introduction to
 Social Media from a
 Business Perspective
                        Author :
                        Hussain Ali
1. Introduction of Social Media Marketing


        A. What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is a part of the integrated marketing communications process carried out by or-
ganizations. Social media marketing involves producing attractive content that is shared via social net-
works on the internet. As people are using internet on a large scale, communicating about a brand or
product on the web has become very important. With the advent of Wi-Fi., internet access on cell phones
and hand held computers, spreading information speedily has become easier than it was before. With the
emergence of Web 2.0, advertising and social networking via Twitter, Facebook and using RSS feeds has
become a part of social media marketing campaigns of many organizations.

Articles

Tips for Social Media Marketing

It is important to analyze the perfect gap in the mar-
ket space, to be the most visible, and that is what
social media marketing does. Even if you have the
best of cards, you should be able to play a smart
game, and a smart game will need tactics and strate-
gies that will help you draw the game in your favor. It
is so in the case of social media marketing too. You
already have the weapon, all you need to do is to use
it strategically. The following list on social media
marketing tips will help you with them.

                                    A little study and research on your target, short term and long term
                                     goals and prospective customers, etc., will help a lot in framing the
                                     basic strategies of target social media tools. Remember that there is a
                                     pool out there, you will need to decide when would you fish in each
                                     of them, whether targeting a single social media tool or more at a
                                     single time. One cannot be a master in marketing in the first go, trial
                                     and error with different tools of social media will eventually give you
                                     the opening for profitable audience gain.
                                    Building a healthy audience is the key role of social media marketing.
                                     A healthy audience can be made by being ethical and acknowledging
                                     them too. Keep updating information and news and do not ignore
                                     social media conversations. Once you make the audience feel valued
                                     and important, it will add to your brand image and enhance the
                                     number of prospective sales, clients and audience.
                                    Social media has got its sudden boom with the growth and popularity
                                     of social networking sites. Facebook and Twitter are tools that are the
most effective platforms for an audience. With a business page of
                                      your company, you can constantly update and share content, news,
                                      and more about your business. For the short and direct messages to
                                      create a following to your company website, Twitter makes an effec-
                                      tive choice.
                                     Learn the game with time and research. Do not stick to one plan for a
                                      long time. You might want to consider multiple options along with in-
                                      terlinking them for effective results. Use strategies like cross-linking
                                      and cross-promoting. You might consider connecting your Twitter ac-
                                      count to Facebook, or linking your blog to Twitter that will show a
                                      follow button to your blog. This will also help the audience choose
                                      the tool that suits them the most, to communicate back to you. This
                                      works best for social media marketing for small businesses.
                                     Keep track of the ups and downs in social media competitors. If there
                                      exists a horse that races down the fences in no time, you don't what
                                      to be riding the one that hardly makes it to the post. It is alright to be
                                      picky when it comes to profit. Make strategically planned choices
                                      when choosing the correct tool for marketing
                                     Use tools like Linkedin, blogs and also other multimedia tools like
                                      YouTube, which are also effective among the social media marketing
                                      strategies. You may create your Flicker account to post customer or
                                      product photos. YouTube can be effective for businesses that aim at
                                      video marketing too.




        B. Why Social Media Won’t Last as a Marketing tool ?

Since the beginning of online social networking, businesses have seen these novel outlets as potentially
powerful marketing tools. But, when people catch on to the schemes of marketing professionals, social
networking websites will be no more effective than magazines for marketing.

Social Networking as an Advertising Tool
The first characteristic of social media that makes them so amenable to advertising is their networking
capacity. On many social networking websites, individuals develop large networks of people they know or
would whose activity they would like to follow. These networks, from the point of view of marketing, form
self-created target markets that usually share interests and demographic characteristics. From a single
individual, social networks can branch out to include hundreds or thousands of people who can be easily
located and grouped by marketing professionals and software.

Online Interactivity for Marketing
Another characteristic of social media that seems tailor-made to cater to marketing is their interactive na-
ture. Although internet-based social networking began as a way for individuals to communicate with one
another, it was not long before organizations such as bands, entertainment outlets, and businesses were
creating their own profiles on social networks, allowing people to associate with them. An individual’s
profile on a social networking website might include a list of interests, and if that person’s friends can click
on an interest to navigate to a business’ "profile," the business has just gained the equivalent of a website
page load for free. This makes social media an attractive advertising outlet due to its cost-effectiveness,
particularly when compared to the number of people it has the capability to reach. For much, much
cheaper than a television advertisement, a page on a social networking website could reach nearly as
many people as the TV ad would.

Interacting with Products
The reason that social networking works as a marketing tool is, in short, that it gives people the feeling
that they are somehow really involved with the thing that’s being sold. Whether it’s a brand of shoes, a
television show, or a hot new band, being able to add a product to your list of "Friends" gives the impres-
sion that you and the product have something in common - an understanding or bond that goes beyond
just a 30-second TV spot. Ads on television, on billboards, and even banner ads on websites, can’t accom-
plish this sense of something real, something authentic. Social networking advertisements can, perhaps,
accomplish that sense, but in the end they are still ads and are therefore no more authentic than their tel-
evision counterparts.

The Case of Magazine Ads
In order to explain why this can’t last, a comparison with magazine advertisements is useful. Magazines
are good outlets for highly specified marketing campaigns because each magazine has a very specific au-
dience. For example, car magazines are generally only read by car enthusiasts. Businesses whose products
or services are automotive-related, therefore, can productively buy ad space in car magazines because
they’re sure that almost everyone who looks at the ad will be someone with a high probability of being
interested in the product. Soon, however, magazine readers will catch on to this scheme and stop looking
at the ads, skipping right past them without even registering their contents, because they know that they
are being targeted as car enthusiasts and are not interested in being sold to.



Meaningful Social Networking
Many people surmise that social media are eroding the concept of friendship. Once, friendship was an
important concept, and who you called your friends really mattered. Now, thanks to online social net-
working, your friends can be people you barely know or even companies who are only interested in your
money. However, living real, meaningful lives has always been and will always be important to people,
even if the novelty factor occasionally derails them from this pursuit. When people begin to understand
what’s really going on with marketing in social media, these outlets could become far less effective for
businesses.




        C. 7 Questions for Integrating Social Media in Marketing Strategy for
            Non-Profits.


            Many people are using social media tools without clearly understanding why it is important
            and how it contributes to the overall marketing strategy of the organization. This article lists
            seven questions you need to ask when developing your social media strategy. You can use
            social media to convey your authentic voice and build authentic relationships, if the social
            media strategy is integrated with your marketing strategy.
            Social media can be defined as all Internet and web based technologies that allow mass scale
            communications among people. As oppose to broadcasts that went from one to many, this
reflects a many to many format where there can be a dialog among many people. Social me-
dia (SM) is definitely not a fad and is here to stay. Especially, if you are a non-profit or a small
business with a purpose, SM can be used very effectively to mobilize your cause, volunteers,
and even funds to support your work.

You can continue to create ripples by engaging people in online communities. But many
people are using it because everyone else is using it. Even though social media can be a pow-
erful tool, it can also be a waste of resources and ineffective if not integrated into the over all
marketing strategy. Here is a list of questions that you should ask yourself when you are de-
veloping your social media strategy.

1) What is the organization’s purpose?
Every marketing plan needs to start with the company's main purpose or the corporate mis-
sion. If you do not have a clear purpose or corporate mission, there is a lot written on the
subject, including suggestions in my article - translating inner purpose into a mission state-
ment.

2) What is the purpose of Social Media?
The next question to ask is how SM can further the organization’s goals? What are the specif-
ic goals and objectives of the SM plan in order to support the overall company plan? Goals
refer to the broader purpose of SM, which is typically ongoing and cannot be measured. Ob-
jectives are the measurable and specific outcomes you would like to achieve within the speci-
fied period.

You can define several goals that are consistent with the corporate mission. For example,
Mother Woman, a non profit with the mission of empowering mothers to bring positive per-
sonal and social change, can use SM to create a social network to support mothers by sharing
experiences, resources, and information to empower mothers and build a strong social pres-
ence using social media tools. Another goal can be to stay informed about changes in the en-
vironments in terms of new grants, new technologies, new research, etc.

The more specific objectives can be to connect with specific number of mothers during speci-
fied periods who can benefit from this program, to connect with new donors, increase web-
site and Blog traffic, increase participation of workshop mothers in online sharing, etc.

3) How will Social Media reach its goals?
I recommend what I call the L.I.P. Approach - Listen, Inform, and Participate.
a. Listen: Social media is a powerful tool because it allows a dialog among many people. An
essential aspect of dialog is listening. While traditional market research methods like focus
groups, surveys, and interviews are still important ways to listen, a more active and continu-
ous form of listening is possible using social media tools like Google Alerts, Facebook, and
Twitter. You can now listen to what your customers are saying, people who believe in your
cause are saying, learn from other organizations, and learn about changes in your environ-
ment. Make a list of people and organizations as well as topics of interest that you should be
following and then figure out the channels you will use to follow.

b. Inform: The second powerful use of social media is with respect to informing the relevant
stakeholders – like your benefactors, donors, and other organizations – about your services,
ideas, and beliefs. Instead of paying millions of dollars to celebrities who have no interest in
your product, to be in a ad that is very often blocked out by people, you can now speak from
a place of passion and authenticity to people who care. Tools like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs,
and YouTube are becoming very popular to get your message across to people in fun, crea-
tive, and yet meaningful ways. Make a list of things you need to get across to the relevant au-
diences, such as events, new service announcements, any media coverage, new ideas, and
volunteering opportunities. And then identify the right channels to communicate the same.
This will involve decisions like should you use Facebook Pages or Facebook Groups. Should
you be on LinkedIn or MySpace or both?

c. Participate: The third aspect of a good SM plan is to create effective ways to participate. An
important aspect of dialog is to reciprocate. If you find an interesting Blog, make comments.
If you find an interesting Tweet, make sure to Re-tweet giving credit to the original tweeter.
These are ways of recognizing and appreciating the contribution of people in your social net-
work.

4) To Whom is it targeted?
The choice of social media channels will depend upon where you think your target audience
will be. Where do you think your customers go to connect or learn about the kind of product
or service that you provide? Your choice of social media channels will depend upon where
you can find potential donors, benefactors/customers, collaborators, and information to help
you move towards your goals.

5) Who is responsible for implementing your Social Media strategy?
SM is time consuming but it can be integrated into your marketing strategy in a way that it
feels more organic and natural to the people involved. While they may be one person over-
seeing SM, there are ways to integrate other employees, guest bloggers, customers, commu-
nity members, and other people passionate about the product, cause, or service that your or-
ganization is promoting. Just ensure that you have clear rules around who and in what way
each person will be involved.

6. Measuring impact periodically
The good news about many of the social media tools is that you can track some aspects of
the impact you are making very easily. For example, in quantitative terms Twitter gives you
statistics related to your Tweets on certain applications; Facebook pages gives you statistics;
and the sheer number of followers and fans helps to some degree in telling about the re-
sponse to your efforts. Some applications like stats counter can be added to Blogs to assess
visitors. It is good to pay attention to the qualitative data related to your organization in
terms of what people are saying about you. Over longer periods of time you can correlate the
increase in SM statistics with increase in sales and traffic to better understand which channel
is most productive for your goals. Very often, it is a combination of SM tools that will pro-
mote your goals and it may be hard to separate the effects of each.



7. What is the opportunity cost?
SM does take time and perhaps money away from what you could be doing with those
Resources instead. Make sure that your benefits in the long run exceed your costs before
adopting a social media strategy. The key is to think long term.
2. Introduction of Internet Marketing.




    A. What is Internet Marketing ?
Although the basic goals of advertising and marketing remain to gain exposure and maintain a
client base for the products and services of a business, doing so on the Internet requires a differ-
ent angle of approach to the task. Because promotion on the Internet is done online, newspaper
ads and other print media are not as useful as with offline firms. Web marketing and online adver-
tising consists of having the web site of your business ranked as high as possible in the Internet
search engines and using other means of virtual exposure. Posting to newsgroups and employing
                                        direct e-mail campaigns are two of the more popular
                                        forms of online advertising and marketing that are being
                                        used by Internet businesses. Below are articles with online
                                        marketing and internet advertising tips and information to
                                        help you find online marketing services and advertising
                                        solutions for marketing your business online.




                                                 Articles

                                                 Advantages of Internet Marketing

Marketing your business on the Internet gives you a wide access of your potential customers. It
has been estimated that a couple of billion people around the world use the Internet, and more
are becoming aware of Internet with each passing day. So, marketing your business to such a
large group of people is only possible through Internet.

                            Internet is the only medium that is able to cross geographic and na-
                             tional boundaries. You can put your advertisement on the Internet
                             and people from all countries of the world can see that advertise-
                             ment.
                            The cost of promoting your business on the Internet is cheaper than
                             other mediums of marketing. This makes it easy for small and mid-
                             sized businesses to advertise their products.
                            Internet allows you the ability to stay connected with your customers
                             on a real-time basis. If you have a discount going on, you can easily
                             send an email to your customers and they can buy the product in-
                             stantly. Internet also allows you to send multiple messages at the
same time, which means that you are saved the tedious task of send-
    ing a newsletter to every client.
   Internet marketing allows you to get an instant feedback from the
    customers. Customers can let you know about their experience after
    using the product and this allows you to know whether you need to
    make any improvements to your service.
   Internet marketing saves a lot of time and effort. Instead of having a
    customer service representative to answer the queries of customers,
    one can put all the information about the product or service on the
    Internet so that customers can go through it. The most common way
    of doing it is to have a section dedicated to frequently asked ques-
    tions (FAQs) about the product so that customers get all the required
    information about the product or the service.
   Internet marketing allows your business to be available 24/7, which
    means increased sales and profits.

    Disadvantages of Internet Marketing

   Although Internet marketing allows you a wider reach, the start-up
    costs of a website can be high. This includes the cost of the required
    software and hardware, and maintenance costs.
   There are still a lot of customers who use the Internet just for having
    more information about a product and prefer to buy it in person. For
    example, Internet marketing allows a customer to view how a phone
    looks like and its technical specifications, but customers prefer having
    a look at the phone in the store to get a hands-on experience.
   There are a lot of customers who are not proficient in using the Inter-
    net and focusing solely on Internet marketing can cause you to lose
    these customers.
   The rules of the trade change rapidly in Internet marketing, and it re-
    quires constant attention and monitoring to ensure that your market-
    ing strategy does not look out-of-date.
   The biggest disadvantage of Internet marketing is its vulnerability to
    fraudulent activities. There are a lot of illegitimate websites out there
    which look similar to original websites and rob the customers of their
    money. Spamming is also one of the biggest challenges for Internet
    marketing and confidential data can be easily stolen by hackers.
   Internet marketing lacks the human touch that is involved when a
    customer buys a product from a salesperson. This hampers the pro-
    spects of relationship building which plays an important part in re-
    peat sales and word-of mouth publicity.
   Internet marketing depends heavily on technology, which is vulnera-
    ble to technical faults. For example, if a customer clicks on your ad-
    vertisement but due to a technical glitch, is unable to buy the prod-
    uct, he may easily become irate and take his business somewhere
    else.
A. Facebook Marketing Tips and Tricks

  If you haven't tapped into the marketing potential of Facebook, it's time you did. With more than
  600 million users, it's almost a crime if you didn't. Whatever be the nature of your business, de-
  voting time in promoting your business on Facebook is definitely worth it. Here are some tips on
  how to go about it.


  Create a Business Page & Promote Your Brand
  One of the first steps to promote your business on Facebook is creating your own business page
  or 'Fan Page'. Fill in all the information about your business or brand, use the wall to post up-
  dates, add photos of your brand and keep your fans updated about new offers and services.
  Begin popularizing the page by sharing it with people in your own personal profile.


  There is a feature called a 'Like' button on Facebook, that automatically shares any link in the
  news feed of connected friends. It is unarguably the most potent feature of Facebook, that will
  help your business gain popularity. If and when anybody 'likes' your business page, it will be vis-
  ible as an update in the news feed of their friends, which is bound to bring in more fans. Voila!
  Suddenly you have created a fan base in thousands for your business! Check out these tips on
  how to create a fan page on Facebook.


  Reach Out Through Targeted Ads on Facebook
  Facebook has its own advertising programs like Google's Adsense, which you can use to display
  ads on the profile pages of users. You can choose your budget and display a banner ad that can
  attract traffic towards your website. These ads are placed contextually, according to user interest.
  That's why, you are bound to get traffic and increased penetration into a targeted customer
  base, through Facebook ads.


  Popularize Events by Leveraging Friend and Fan Connections
  Once you have a fan base for your business page, you can conduct contests and events which
  can be popularized there. Contests and local events sponsored by your brand can be promoted
  on your fan page, providing increased visibility for your brand.


  Add the Facebook Like Button to Your Webpage
  If you have a website, one of the best ways of promoting your web page content on Facebook, is
  adding a Facebook 'Like' button at the bottom of every page. Any user who likes your page, is
  bound to share it on his Facebook wall, automatically popularizing the page among his connect-
  ing friends; driving more traffic towards the page, in the process.


  Buy & Sell on Facebook Marketplace
  Word is just spreading around about the Facebook Marketplace, which is an e-commerce plat-
  form, integrated into Facebook, where you can buy and sell items. Local businesses can effective-
  ly use this platform to promote the sale of their products and create one more sales Channel for
themselves. Check out the Facebook Marketplace to know more about it.


  Hope these simple Facebook marketing tips and tricks help you out in widening your customer
  base and gaining a bigger fan base for your brand or traffic for your website. As I said before,
  the 'Like' button is the most powerful feature of Facebook, that can create an avalanche effect,
  that can divert traffic towards any link shared or any brand advertised. Sign up into Facebook,
  create your business fan page today and consistently update it to reach out to potential custom-
  ers!


B. E-Marketing Strategy

  In general terms, an e-marketing strategy consists of the steps taken and procedures followed
  for marketing a brand through the web. The center of attraction in any e-marketing strategy is
  the website of the company to which Internet users are to be attracted for increasing sales. But
  firstly, the company's website needs to be in a proper design, format, attractive, and one that will
  have a good impression on prospective buyers.

  Components of a Good Internet Marketing Strategy

  Search Engine Optimization
  A study conducted shows that around 90% of Americans use the Internet daily, with over 2/3rd
  of purchases being researched on the Internet. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a procedure
  that relates to attracting Internet traffic to your website as much as possible. SEO is crucial for
  online marketing success of your business. It includes optimizing your website in such a way that
  your site would be ranked on the initial pages of the search, so that the web users can visit your
  website for the contents they are in search of. This is done using keyword phrases that the users
  generally put in the Internet search engines for searching a particular product or service.

  Email Marketing Strategy
  Another important component of an effective e-marketing strategy is email marketing which is
  all about sending information of the product and services to the potential customers using
  email. This is a proven effective method of using online marketing as an efficient tool for busi-
  ness generation. It is also a very good business marketing technique for building good business
  relations with potential customers, as well as prospective clients.

  Online Advertising
  Online advertising is a marketing method, that has a very substantial Return On Investment (ROI)
  value. It consists of placing advertisements of products and services on the company website,
  sites which are ranking on the first pages of the search engine, and sites which are getting a con-
  siderable amount of traffic from Internet users. Internet affiliate marketing is a very good exam-
  ple of online advertising, which relates to paying your company's product advertiser as per the
  sales generation.

  Online Newsletters
  You can even think of online newsletters as a decent way to pass on product information for
  promoting your product and services. Businesses generally issue online newsletters to regular
  customers for letting them know what new introductory offers are available and which new
products are likely to be launched. Unlike email marketing, these online newsletters are issued at
   regular time intervals.

   Media News Rooms
   A media news room is a facility on the web that includes most of the company blogs and infor-
   mation which can be accessed by social media. If the company information reaches the social
   media, it takes no time for the information and news to be transferred to the general public. The
   information in media news rooms is usually available to journalists and bloggers, who are visitors
   searching for specific news and facts of the products and not just general information. This is al-
   so one of the most effective Internet marketing strategies.


C. How To Sell Stuff Online: Tips


   Some of the tips on how to sell stuff online are mentioned below.


   Look In For Websites That Rock!
   There are a number of websites that have changed the dynamics of the internet marketing. The-
   se websites give you can opportunity to advertise your products and services, so that they can
   reach to a wider market. Google Ad words and Google Ad sense have ruled the internet market
   by their brilliant strategies and amazing reach to the millions and millions of global audience.
   Some others websites like EBay and Amazon have carved a niche on their own! If you wish to
   sell your products targeting many customers, then you have got to formally register on these
   sites and pay for the advertisements as per their plans. You can advertise your products on web-
   sites that will help you link your products to other websites also.


   Go For Email Marketing!
   Email marketing techniques are a novel option, if you wish to advertise your products. There are
   many email marketing best practices that can guide you through with a better business strategy,
   if you are opting for email marketing.


   Social Networking is the Order of The Day!
   There is no doubt in the fact that the social networking sites are accessed by more than half of
   the internet users. There are many social networking websites that can advertise the products by
   linking them in their websites. However, online marketing on social networking sites should not
   annoy the user by stuffing the site with advertisements only! The idea is to give relevant links
   and products, instead of just stuffing the page with any advertisements. Try to link the adver-
   tisements through games, graphics and interesting fun to do things on these sites!


   Banner Advertising is The Perfect Idea!
   The idea of banner advertising is a very creative approach, that aims to provide the users some
   entertainment as well as help businesses advertise their products on a large scale. In banner ad-
   vertising, the web developers embed an advertisement onto the webpage and hence advertise
the products. The users are provided with certain pop ups of games, video music and various
  other features, that can entertain them and indirectly highlight the product of the firm.


  And Of Course There's Blogging!
  Blogging is the 'hip' thing nowadays! It's a real and widely popular means of business and per-
  sonal communication. So, if you have to make your product reach maximum people, then blog-
  ging is a bright idea.


D. Website Marketing Strategy

     Effective web site marketing is the core of every online business strategy. Businesses around
     the world now enjoy web presence that enables entrepreneurs to reach out to potential cus-
     tomers beyond geographical constraints.


     How is a customized web site business marketing strategy applied?


     The internet technology is harnessed within business operations like marketing with the help
     of the search engines. The optimization of this very potent component of online or web site
     marketing does not lie in the adoption of tactics to ‘fool’ the search engines. The profession-
     als who help an online businessman to adopt a customized web site business marketing
     strategy apply strategies that are legitimate and techniques that are tried and tested. There
     are special SEOP or Search Engine Optimization Professional discussion forums that are orga-
     nized to educate the online businessman on web site marketing strategies and prepare him
     to make the most of the exercise.


     Why is a web site marketing strategy important to the online business?


     The web presence of any company is via the content that appears online, at a click, and the
     graphics and visuals presented. The businessman has a limited time frame in which he can ei-
     ther make the viewer inquisitive about the company’s products and services or lose the cus-
     tomer to a competitor with a better customized web site business marketing strategy. Search
     engine marketing is quick and follows simple guidelines. On the web, content rules and the
     website marketing strategy ensures that web site traffic steadily increases to the company’s
     home page. Search engine optimization is a very important element of the robust internet
     marketing strategy. The online business can grow by leaps and bounds with effective site
     promotion, web development and e-business ethics.


     The best website business marketing strategy:


     The best way to market the business products and services is by ensuring its visibility in the
     major search engines. A dedicated effort has to be made to ensure that the business gets
     listed at the top of the SERP or Search Engine Page Ranking. Search Engine Optimization in-
volves a sincere and linear approach to keep in place the website and its content, business-
         specific keywords, effective title and Meta tags and links etc. The website must be designed in
         a way that it necessarily addresses specific traffic online. The On Page Optimization and Off
         Page Optimization should be used in a way that the new and old web pages are both visible
         at all times. This is real value for investment and a sure shot ‘hit’ on the target clientele.

         Ways to ensure effective website marketing:


         Website marketing strategies should be applied keeping in mind that marketing is the key
         factor for the success for any business. Online marketing and web presence is not at all easy
         to achieve, especially for freshers. However, with a good strategy in place and a lot of dedi-
         cated work – nothing is impossible! Web marketing is nothing but a way to capitalize online,
         using the internet approach. Since not every businessman has the time and commitment to
         personally develop a website marketing strategy for the business, there are professionals who
         step in and guide the process.


         Effective website marketing is a ‘pointer’ that the businessman navigates. As the business en-
         vironment changes, the objective of the marketing strategy adopted is also expected to direct
         energies towards the best action plan. It is very important to adopt a website marketing strat-
         egy to remain focused on your marketing efforts to generate only the best for your business.
         The website marketing strategy should be aligned with the other online efforts made to
         achieve overall company objectives. The web presence screams out through a consistent style
         and message and the site's status. You need to effectively market the business products and
         services using the existing website or creating one exclusively for the purpose.


         Website enhancements work like magic in improving the business presence online. It is im-
         portant to ensure that the business objectives, strategies, and adopted tactics and focus
         change with time, according to the online market rules. A website marketing plan focuses on
         internet extensive marketing strategies and programs to encompass the entire business. The
         implementation of a website marketing program improves the business’ chances of success.

E.    Increase Website Traffic for Free

     To increase website traffic, you've to focus on several different options available on the Internet.
     Now these methods required to increase web traffic can be costly and, in case you don't have
     enough budget for that, you can focus on some simple methods to increase website traffic for
     free.
How to Increase Website Traffic for Free


If you don't have sufficient budget to spend on some costly methods of boosting web traffic on
your website, then you needn't worry. There are several ways of getting free traffic using numer-
ous methods. Get some ideas on increasing web traffic without spending money, in the further
paragraphs.


Optimization Works Wonders
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can make a world of difference in the quality of your rankings.
Enlisting your websites on major Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN submit your
website on less popular web directories. Larger the number of your listings, better will be your
rankings.


Keyword is the King
Only with awesome content on the Internet, you can't rank. With apt keywords and awesome
content, you can surely rank. Keywords are valuable. They can help you to garner huge traffic. If
you wish to know the biggest secret of 'how to increase website traffic for free, then you've to fo-
cus on keywords related to your content.


Online Directories Enhance Cyber Presence
If you think your website content is impressive and can provide quality information to people
searching for legitimate information on the Internet, then you can register on various online di-
rectories. Internet affiliate marketing strategists often pick up websites' from such directories, that
filter relevant websites for their usage.


Linking Attracts Traffic
Manage your website by properly using fundamentals of exchange links and link building. Share
or, rather trade links of other websites similar to the content provided on your website. Be cau-
tious not to trade links with those sites that are poor in content, as that questions the credibility
of information provided on your website.


Forums are to Discuss
Online forums are there to share valuable information regarding the presence of websites that
provide productive information on the Internet. These forums can help you to increase web traffic.


Exist on Blogs
Blogging has become a trend these days. While connecting to large human network, you can ex-
clude blogger. Some really popular blogs can provide you increased web traffic on the internet.
When you exist on blogs, users can reach out to your website and hence web traffic increases.
Why not create your website related to your blog, or stand alone blog and drive traffic to your
website.
Viral Marketing = Increased Web Traffic
        Through numerous ways like flash games, video clips, word-of-mouth publicity, video games,
        Ebooks, brochures, software, text messages, yellow pages, you can use viral marketing techniques
        to enhance web traffic for free.



        Be a Social Bee
        Social networking is the order of the day. Where else to share information about your website
        than on Facebook, Twitter etc.


        Around the Globe Through Advertising
        Internet advertising has gone from its nascent stage to being the next buzz on Internet. Spread
        your presence around the globe by sharing information for audiences all across the globe, in dif-
        ferent nations, and if possible in different languages. This generates web traffic and people with
        knowledge about their particular language can find it easier to read information on your website.


        Freebies are Effective
        Distribute freebies like CDS, DVDs through your website. Just ask for a free sign up and give your
        users an opportunity to get some information about your website and some other information.


        Hopefully, through this write up, you must have become aware of some steps on 'how to increase
        website traffic for free'. Use these methods to your advantage and drive web traffic on your web-
        site. And definitely, these are not the only ways. There are various other ways on how to increase
        web traffic for free. Just keep your eyes and ears open and you will find various effective ways of
        driving web traffic without spending money.


     F. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

        Search engine marketing is an Internet marketing tool, which popularizes a website by optimizing
        its results when searched. Use
        this tool to make the most for
        your website to carve your
        niche in the market.




Importance of Pay Per Click in Search
Engine Optimization Service

Pay Per Click is used on search en-
gines, advertising networks, blogs,
where advertisers have to pay when a
user actually clicks on an ad to visit the advertiser's website.

SEM or search engine marketing is a form of Internet marketing that promotes websites by enhancing
their position in search engine result pages. Pay Per Click is one of the methods adopted in search engine
marketing.

Now one may ask, what is Pay Per Click? Many consider Pay Per Click as an easy method of reaching the
top rank on search engine results page. But it is not so. This method can however if used in a discreet
manner one it may help to improve the rank.

Pay Per Click (PPC) is used on search engines, advertising networks, blogs, where advertisers have to pay
when a user actually clicks on an ad to visit the advertiser's website. Advertisers make a bid on keywords,
which they consider as their target market may use as search terms while looking for a product or service.
When a keyword query, matching the advertiser's keyword list is typed by the advertiser, or views a page
with relevant content, the advertiser's ad is visible. These ads are known as "Sponsored link" or "spon-
sored ads" and appear above the "natural" results on search engine results pages.

Many customers may feel that PPC being a paid marketing strategy is an easy thing to handle, when it is
actually not so. The PPC advertising campaigns often face stiff competition when it comes to price bid-
ding and it is definitely not an easy task to manage a series of advertisements, keeping into mind the fi-
nancial aspect. One has to be very careful before engaging any Search Engine Placement Services.

Before engaging the Search Engine Optimization Service one should find out whether the SEO firm has
the experience and expertise in PPC advertising model so that they can work out the complete PPC cam-
paign for the client and can give assurance of its success. Moreover, the professionally qualified consult-
ants should be able to provide the best deals on PPC services for guaranteed increase in the business pro-
spects. The Search Engine Placement Service needs to be very competitive and cost effective, giving the
best guarantee for assured results.

     G. Home Based Affiliate Business.

Home based affiliate businesses are slowly coming to prominence and there are several people who are
opting for such a side business, to make some extra cash. In the following article, a considerable explana-
tion to the features and business opportunities for home based affiliate businesses have been provided.
To know more about such home based businesses read on

If you are asking the question 'how to start a home based affiliate business', then you have reached the
perfect place on the web. Enhanced communication systems such as the Internet and telephones, has ex-
panded the horizons of work at home based business opportunities. Fifty years back such business oppor-
tunities were small in number and there were very few people who actually undertook such businesses
which were operated from home offices. Today however, many stay-at-home parents undertake such
businesses to earn some extra income. People who work on a full time basis, also tend to take up such
opportunities as side businesses. There are several advantages and some limited disadvantages of such
home based affiliate business schemes. Such businesses are also excellent avenues to start a business with
little or no money.
In the following paragraphs, some work at home business opportunities have been described. A round
about and brief job description and requirements for starting a business of this sort have also been in-
cluded. Have a look…




Internet Advertising and Marketing


The concept of Internet advertising and marketing is the best example of Internet home businesses. Such
businesses basically require a computer, Internet connection and a good language. In Internet advertising
the company will ask you to write reviews and feed back on different media, portals, blogs and in some
cases social networking sites. Employers of such businesses usually tend to pay you on the volume of
work that you have completed. Potential employer home based Internet affiliate business companies in-
clude, marketing, sales and advertising companies and also consumer goods manufacturing companies.
The best aspect of such a business is that there is no obligation regarding the volume of work that is to be
completed per week or month. You may also refer to business marketing, for further inputs. In some cases
such business is also known as a cash only survey. In such a business , you will have to participate in sev-
eral questionnaire and review surveys.


Multi level Marketing


A new kind of business model that is being adopted is that of Multi Level Marketing (MLM). In such a
marketing you become a customer, cum agent, of the company that provides some specific services and
you will have the power to recruit a specified number of people below you, who will further recruit people
beneath them. After every new recruit under your pyramid, the company will reward you. Such a kind of
business model is sometimes also known as network marketing. In the network marketing, the maximum
number of recruits that can be taken is larger than that of multi level marketing. This home based affiliate
business model is used by companies who provide services and, in some cases, take a monthly or yearly
subscription. Media companies, travel companies, software companies often take in such MLM models to
successfully market their products. You may refer to MLM leads for marketing ideas.


Direct Sales


The home based affiliate marketing business can sometimes also be used for direct sales. People in the
western world often demand goods and services from eastern countries and vice versa. Producer compa-
nies cannot afford to set up an office in some other country, hence, they appoint a sales agent who oper-
ates the sales and marketing operation as a home based affiliate business. This business is often consid-
ered to be a business franchise of the producer company. In some cases, to setup the business a special-
ized knowledge of the product and its market is also required. In some cases regionally produced com-
modities can also be sold by home based businesses. Some financial institutions also appoint insurance,
securities and credit agents for sales. Travel and home and lifestyle companies also, many a times include,
home based affiliate business for sales.
There are countless home based affiliate business opportunities and it is anticipated that they will go on
increasing, owing to the fact that companies find marketing, advertising and selling their products
through such home based affiliate businesses very convenient and also a lot cheaper. Some other oppor-
tunities include answering service jobs from home and assisted living business, which are some of the very
needed businesses in today's society. It must be however noted that such home based business income
opportunities should be taken up by stay-at-home parents or as passive income sources as the total yield
of the activity is good but not exactly over the top. Exercise caution while undertaking such an activity. I
hope that the elaboration on the home based affiliate business proves to be resourceful.




                         3. Introduction of Social Networking



What is Social Networking ?

Socializing on the web has attained an all new level, with millions of users continuously hooked on to this
addictive medium of social networking. Meeting new people, making new friends and staying in touch
with them, has become so easy, thanks to this interactive web medium of social networking. These social
networking websites have given us loads of fun stuff to do online.




Meeting New People Online: Tips


To make new friends online, you have to be very clear about your Intent. Why do you want to know
someone? It is fairly simple to go on adding
thousands of friends on any of your social
networking account but if you really wish to
learn how to meet people online, you must
know your intent of what you're doing. Your
intent may can be anything like you're bored
of being single and you're searching for a po-
tential soul mate, you're starting a new busi-
ness and so you need to contact people who
have done it before, you love poetry writing
and so you wish to join forums or websites
that promote poetry writing.


The reason why you wish to meet new people
completely depends on individual preferences
and needs. Once you're clear about why you wish to know new people, you can proceed to the next step;
to join relevant websites. If you wish to date someone, you can join reliable adult dating websites. If you
just wish to promote your business, you can add people working with same business ideas by joining a
social networking website like Facebook or twitter.


Apart from these options, you can start blogging and follow or invite numerous people who're active
bloggers. In fact, there are a large number of blogging networks that even conduct monthly and quarterly
meetings of bloggers by considering geographical locations. You can meet new people even there.


If you wish, you can use online chat rooms wherein you can talk to like minded people. So are you getting
how to meet people online? For effective people search, you have to use Internet search engines. Just
type the relevant keywords in Google search engine or Yahoo and go the desired websites, register your-
self (in some cases registration is free while in some, it is chargeable) and lo! You're there, with a profile in
the cyber world.


While it is fairly easy to make new friends online, as an Internet technology user, you must be aware about
Internet safety steps. Given the enormity of the cyberspace, it is one of the most vulnerable technologies.
There are whooping number of Internet dating scams that can leave you shattered if you're not joining
reliable sources or in case, you're being foolish by divulging more than necessary information about your-
self. An awareness of online dating advantages and disadvantages is essential to ensure that your privacy
is not infiltrated by people with nefarious pursuits. Even the latest social mania, facebook has several
threats. Facebook dangers can be controlled by limiting your information on this website and being aware
of safety settings.


The trick is to meet people online safely and that is the vital point to research when gathering information
about how to meet people online. Online users must understand that they must take all precautions while
meeting new people online, as their safety is more important that increasing friend's count.
About the Author

                         Hussain Ali is the man behind a focal
                         point of his passion for Social Media,
Graphic Designing and IT. He is the principle Co-founder of Social Media
Kuwait & Founder of Software World Solutions India.

He has earned several qualifications,
Including a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Graphic design, Network
Professional and Electronic Media.

Click the below Links & Follow me

                             Email : info.hussainobri@gmail.com
Acknowledgments

I would like to personally thank the following people for their contributions to inspiring me
for this book:

      Abdulaziz Binhouhou
      Ghadeer Al-Essa
      Danah Alasfour
      Abeer Al Abduljalil

© Copyright Software World Solutions 2009-2011. All rights reserved.

No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior
written permission of the publisher.

Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher has used its best efforts in
preparing this book, and the information provided herein is provided "as is." Software
World Solutions” makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or
completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties
of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for
any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special,
incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Trademarks: This book identifies product names and services known to be trademarks,
registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. They are used through-
out this book in an editorial fashion only. In addition, terms suspected of being trade-
marks, registered trademarks, or service marks have been appropriately capitalized, alt-
hough Software World Solutions cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a
term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, regis-
tered trademark, or service mark. Software World Solutions is not associated with any
product or vendor mentioned in this book.

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The beginner's Guide for Social Media &Networks

  • 1. The Beginner’s Guide To Social Media & Networks Introduction to Social Media from a Business Perspective Author : Hussain Ali
  • 2. 1. Introduction of Social Media Marketing A. What is Social Media Marketing? Social media marketing is a part of the integrated marketing communications process carried out by or- ganizations. Social media marketing involves producing attractive content that is shared via social net- works on the internet. As people are using internet on a large scale, communicating about a brand or product on the web has become very important. With the advent of Wi-Fi., internet access on cell phones and hand held computers, spreading information speedily has become easier than it was before. With the emergence of Web 2.0, advertising and social networking via Twitter, Facebook and using RSS feeds has become a part of social media marketing campaigns of many organizations. Articles Tips for Social Media Marketing It is important to analyze the perfect gap in the mar- ket space, to be the most visible, and that is what social media marketing does. Even if you have the best of cards, you should be able to play a smart game, and a smart game will need tactics and strate- gies that will help you draw the game in your favor. It is so in the case of social media marketing too. You already have the weapon, all you need to do is to use it strategically. The following list on social media marketing tips will help you with them.  A little study and research on your target, short term and long term goals and prospective customers, etc., will help a lot in framing the basic strategies of target social media tools. Remember that there is a pool out there, you will need to decide when would you fish in each of them, whether targeting a single social media tool or more at a single time. One cannot be a master in marketing in the first go, trial and error with different tools of social media will eventually give you the opening for profitable audience gain.  Building a healthy audience is the key role of social media marketing. A healthy audience can be made by being ethical and acknowledging them too. Keep updating information and news and do not ignore social media conversations. Once you make the audience feel valued and important, it will add to your brand image and enhance the number of prospective sales, clients and audience.  Social media has got its sudden boom with the growth and popularity of social networking sites. Facebook and Twitter are tools that are the
  • 3. most effective platforms for an audience. With a business page of your company, you can constantly update and share content, news, and more about your business. For the short and direct messages to create a following to your company website, Twitter makes an effec- tive choice.  Learn the game with time and research. Do not stick to one plan for a long time. You might want to consider multiple options along with in- terlinking them for effective results. Use strategies like cross-linking and cross-promoting. You might consider connecting your Twitter ac- count to Facebook, or linking your blog to Twitter that will show a follow button to your blog. This will also help the audience choose the tool that suits them the most, to communicate back to you. This works best for social media marketing for small businesses.  Keep track of the ups and downs in social media competitors. If there exists a horse that races down the fences in no time, you don't what to be riding the one that hardly makes it to the post. It is alright to be picky when it comes to profit. Make strategically planned choices when choosing the correct tool for marketing  Use tools like Linkedin, blogs and also other multimedia tools like YouTube, which are also effective among the social media marketing strategies. You may create your Flicker account to post customer or product photos. YouTube can be effective for businesses that aim at video marketing too. B. Why Social Media Won’t Last as a Marketing tool ? Since the beginning of online social networking, businesses have seen these novel outlets as potentially powerful marketing tools. But, when people catch on to the schemes of marketing professionals, social networking websites will be no more effective than magazines for marketing. Social Networking as an Advertising Tool The first characteristic of social media that makes them so amenable to advertising is their networking capacity. On many social networking websites, individuals develop large networks of people they know or would whose activity they would like to follow. These networks, from the point of view of marketing, form self-created target markets that usually share interests and demographic characteristics. From a single individual, social networks can branch out to include hundreds or thousands of people who can be easily located and grouped by marketing professionals and software. Online Interactivity for Marketing Another characteristic of social media that seems tailor-made to cater to marketing is their interactive na- ture. Although internet-based social networking began as a way for individuals to communicate with one another, it was not long before organizations such as bands, entertainment outlets, and businesses were creating their own profiles on social networks, allowing people to associate with them. An individual’s profile on a social networking website might include a list of interests, and if that person’s friends can click on an interest to navigate to a business’ "profile," the business has just gained the equivalent of a website page load for free. This makes social media an attractive advertising outlet due to its cost-effectiveness,
  • 4. particularly when compared to the number of people it has the capability to reach. For much, much cheaper than a television advertisement, a page on a social networking website could reach nearly as many people as the TV ad would. Interacting with Products The reason that social networking works as a marketing tool is, in short, that it gives people the feeling that they are somehow really involved with the thing that’s being sold. Whether it’s a brand of shoes, a television show, or a hot new band, being able to add a product to your list of "Friends" gives the impres- sion that you and the product have something in common - an understanding or bond that goes beyond just a 30-second TV spot. Ads on television, on billboards, and even banner ads on websites, can’t accom- plish this sense of something real, something authentic. Social networking advertisements can, perhaps, accomplish that sense, but in the end they are still ads and are therefore no more authentic than their tel- evision counterparts. The Case of Magazine Ads In order to explain why this can’t last, a comparison with magazine advertisements is useful. Magazines are good outlets for highly specified marketing campaigns because each magazine has a very specific au- dience. For example, car magazines are generally only read by car enthusiasts. Businesses whose products or services are automotive-related, therefore, can productively buy ad space in car magazines because they’re sure that almost everyone who looks at the ad will be someone with a high probability of being interested in the product. Soon, however, magazine readers will catch on to this scheme and stop looking at the ads, skipping right past them without even registering their contents, because they know that they are being targeted as car enthusiasts and are not interested in being sold to. Meaningful Social Networking Many people surmise that social media are eroding the concept of friendship. Once, friendship was an important concept, and who you called your friends really mattered. Now, thanks to online social net- working, your friends can be people you barely know or even companies who are only interested in your money. However, living real, meaningful lives has always been and will always be important to people, even if the novelty factor occasionally derails them from this pursuit. When people begin to understand what’s really going on with marketing in social media, these outlets could become far less effective for businesses. C. 7 Questions for Integrating Social Media in Marketing Strategy for Non-Profits. Many people are using social media tools without clearly understanding why it is important and how it contributes to the overall marketing strategy of the organization. This article lists seven questions you need to ask when developing your social media strategy. You can use social media to convey your authentic voice and build authentic relationships, if the social media strategy is integrated with your marketing strategy. Social media can be defined as all Internet and web based technologies that allow mass scale communications among people. As oppose to broadcasts that went from one to many, this
  • 5. reflects a many to many format where there can be a dialog among many people. Social me- dia (SM) is definitely not a fad and is here to stay. Especially, if you are a non-profit or a small business with a purpose, SM can be used very effectively to mobilize your cause, volunteers, and even funds to support your work. You can continue to create ripples by engaging people in online communities. But many people are using it because everyone else is using it. Even though social media can be a pow- erful tool, it can also be a waste of resources and ineffective if not integrated into the over all marketing strategy. Here is a list of questions that you should ask yourself when you are de- veloping your social media strategy. 1) What is the organization’s purpose? Every marketing plan needs to start with the company's main purpose or the corporate mis- sion. If you do not have a clear purpose or corporate mission, there is a lot written on the subject, including suggestions in my article - translating inner purpose into a mission state- ment. 2) What is the purpose of Social Media? The next question to ask is how SM can further the organization’s goals? What are the specif- ic goals and objectives of the SM plan in order to support the overall company plan? Goals refer to the broader purpose of SM, which is typically ongoing and cannot be measured. Ob- jectives are the measurable and specific outcomes you would like to achieve within the speci- fied period. You can define several goals that are consistent with the corporate mission. For example, Mother Woman, a non profit with the mission of empowering mothers to bring positive per- sonal and social change, can use SM to create a social network to support mothers by sharing experiences, resources, and information to empower mothers and build a strong social pres- ence using social media tools. Another goal can be to stay informed about changes in the en- vironments in terms of new grants, new technologies, new research, etc. The more specific objectives can be to connect with specific number of mothers during speci- fied periods who can benefit from this program, to connect with new donors, increase web- site and Blog traffic, increase participation of workshop mothers in online sharing, etc. 3) How will Social Media reach its goals? I recommend what I call the L.I.P. Approach - Listen, Inform, and Participate. a. Listen: Social media is a powerful tool because it allows a dialog among many people. An essential aspect of dialog is listening. While traditional market research methods like focus groups, surveys, and interviews are still important ways to listen, a more active and continu- ous form of listening is possible using social media tools like Google Alerts, Facebook, and Twitter. You can now listen to what your customers are saying, people who believe in your cause are saying, learn from other organizations, and learn about changes in your environ- ment. Make a list of people and organizations as well as topics of interest that you should be following and then figure out the channels you will use to follow. b. Inform: The second powerful use of social media is with respect to informing the relevant stakeholders – like your benefactors, donors, and other organizations – about your services,
  • 6. ideas, and beliefs. Instead of paying millions of dollars to celebrities who have no interest in your product, to be in a ad that is very often blocked out by people, you can now speak from a place of passion and authenticity to people who care. Tools like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and YouTube are becoming very popular to get your message across to people in fun, crea- tive, and yet meaningful ways. Make a list of things you need to get across to the relevant au- diences, such as events, new service announcements, any media coverage, new ideas, and volunteering opportunities. And then identify the right channels to communicate the same. This will involve decisions like should you use Facebook Pages or Facebook Groups. Should you be on LinkedIn or MySpace or both? c. Participate: The third aspect of a good SM plan is to create effective ways to participate. An important aspect of dialog is to reciprocate. If you find an interesting Blog, make comments. If you find an interesting Tweet, make sure to Re-tweet giving credit to the original tweeter. These are ways of recognizing and appreciating the contribution of people in your social net- work. 4) To Whom is it targeted? The choice of social media channels will depend upon where you think your target audience will be. Where do you think your customers go to connect or learn about the kind of product or service that you provide? Your choice of social media channels will depend upon where you can find potential donors, benefactors/customers, collaborators, and information to help you move towards your goals. 5) Who is responsible for implementing your Social Media strategy? SM is time consuming but it can be integrated into your marketing strategy in a way that it feels more organic and natural to the people involved. While they may be one person over- seeing SM, there are ways to integrate other employees, guest bloggers, customers, commu- nity members, and other people passionate about the product, cause, or service that your or- ganization is promoting. Just ensure that you have clear rules around who and in what way each person will be involved. 6. Measuring impact periodically The good news about many of the social media tools is that you can track some aspects of the impact you are making very easily. For example, in quantitative terms Twitter gives you statistics related to your Tweets on certain applications; Facebook pages gives you statistics; and the sheer number of followers and fans helps to some degree in telling about the re- sponse to your efforts. Some applications like stats counter can be added to Blogs to assess visitors. It is good to pay attention to the qualitative data related to your organization in terms of what people are saying about you. Over longer periods of time you can correlate the increase in SM statistics with increase in sales and traffic to better understand which channel is most productive for your goals. Very often, it is a combination of SM tools that will pro- mote your goals and it may be hard to separate the effects of each. 7. What is the opportunity cost? SM does take time and perhaps money away from what you could be doing with those Resources instead. Make sure that your benefits in the long run exceed your costs before adopting a social media strategy. The key is to think long term.
  • 7. 2. Introduction of Internet Marketing. A. What is Internet Marketing ? Although the basic goals of advertising and marketing remain to gain exposure and maintain a client base for the products and services of a business, doing so on the Internet requires a differ- ent angle of approach to the task. Because promotion on the Internet is done online, newspaper ads and other print media are not as useful as with offline firms. Web marketing and online adver- tising consists of having the web site of your business ranked as high as possible in the Internet search engines and using other means of virtual exposure. Posting to newsgroups and employing direct e-mail campaigns are two of the more popular forms of online advertising and marketing that are being used by Internet businesses. Below are articles with online marketing and internet advertising tips and information to help you find online marketing services and advertising solutions for marketing your business online. Articles Advantages of Internet Marketing Marketing your business on the Internet gives you a wide access of your potential customers. It has been estimated that a couple of billion people around the world use the Internet, and more are becoming aware of Internet with each passing day. So, marketing your business to such a large group of people is only possible through Internet.  Internet is the only medium that is able to cross geographic and na- tional boundaries. You can put your advertisement on the Internet and people from all countries of the world can see that advertise- ment.  The cost of promoting your business on the Internet is cheaper than other mediums of marketing. This makes it easy for small and mid- sized businesses to advertise their products.  Internet allows you the ability to stay connected with your customers on a real-time basis. If you have a discount going on, you can easily send an email to your customers and they can buy the product in- stantly. Internet also allows you to send multiple messages at the
  • 8. same time, which means that you are saved the tedious task of send- ing a newsletter to every client.  Internet marketing allows you to get an instant feedback from the customers. Customers can let you know about their experience after using the product and this allows you to know whether you need to make any improvements to your service.  Internet marketing saves a lot of time and effort. Instead of having a customer service representative to answer the queries of customers, one can put all the information about the product or service on the Internet so that customers can go through it. The most common way of doing it is to have a section dedicated to frequently asked ques- tions (FAQs) about the product so that customers get all the required information about the product or the service.  Internet marketing allows your business to be available 24/7, which means increased sales and profits. Disadvantages of Internet Marketing  Although Internet marketing allows you a wider reach, the start-up costs of a website can be high. This includes the cost of the required software and hardware, and maintenance costs.  There are still a lot of customers who use the Internet just for having more information about a product and prefer to buy it in person. For example, Internet marketing allows a customer to view how a phone looks like and its technical specifications, but customers prefer having a look at the phone in the store to get a hands-on experience.  There are a lot of customers who are not proficient in using the Inter- net and focusing solely on Internet marketing can cause you to lose these customers.  The rules of the trade change rapidly in Internet marketing, and it re- quires constant attention and monitoring to ensure that your market- ing strategy does not look out-of-date.  The biggest disadvantage of Internet marketing is its vulnerability to fraudulent activities. There are a lot of illegitimate websites out there which look similar to original websites and rob the customers of their money. Spamming is also one of the biggest challenges for Internet marketing and confidential data can be easily stolen by hackers.  Internet marketing lacks the human touch that is involved when a customer buys a product from a salesperson. This hampers the pro- spects of relationship building which plays an important part in re- peat sales and word-of mouth publicity.  Internet marketing depends heavily on technology, which is vulnera- ble to technical faults. For example, if a customer clicks on your ad- vertisement but due to a technical glitch, is unable to buy the prod- uct, he may easily become irate and take his business somewhere else.
  • 9. A. Facebook Marketing Tips and Tricks If you haven't tapped into the marketing potential of Facebook, it's time you did. With more than 600 million users, it's almost a crime if you didn't. Whatever be the nature of your business, de- voting time in promoting your business on Facebook is definitely worth it. Here are some tips on how to go about it. Create a Business Page & Promote Your Brand One of the first steps to promote your business on Facebook is creating your own business page or 'Fan Page'. Fill in all the information about your business or brand, use the wall to post up- dates, add photos of your brand and keep your fans updated about new offers and services. Begin popularizing the page by sharing it with people in your own personal profile. There is a feature called a 'Like' button on Facebook, that automatically shares any link in the news feed of connected friends. It is unarguably the most potent feature of Facebook, that will help your business gain popularity. If and when anybody 'likes' your business page, it will be vis- ible as an update in the news feed of their friends, which is bound to bring in more fans. Voila! Suddenly you have created a fan base in thousands for your business! Check out these tips on how to create a fan page on Facebook. Reach Out Through Targeted Ads on Facebook Facebook has its own advertising programs like Google's Adsense, which you can use to display ads on the profile pages of users. You can choose your budget and display a banner ad that can attract traffic towards your website. These ads are placed contextually, according to user interest. That's why, you are bound to get traffic and increased penetration into a targeted customer base, through Facebook ads. Popularize Events by Leveraging Friend and Fan Connections Once you have a fan base for your business page, you can conduct contests and events which can be popularized there. Contests and local events sponsored by your brand can be promoted on your fan page, providing increased visibility for your brand. Add the Facebook Like Button to Your Webpage If you have a website, one of the best ways of promoting your web page content on Facebook, is adding a Facebook 'Like' button at the bottom of every page. Any user who likes your page, is bound to share it on his Facebook wall, automatically popularizing the page among his connect- ing friends; driving more traffic towards the page, in the process. Buy & Sell on Facebook Marketplace Word is just spreading around about the Facebook Marketplace, which is an e-commerce plat- form, integrated into Facebook, where you can buy and sell items. Local businesses can effective- ly use this platform to promote the sale of their products and create one more sales Channel for
  • 10. themselves. Check out the Facebook Marketplace to know more about it. Hope these simple Facebook marketing tips and tricks help you out in widening your customer base and gaining a bigger fan base for your brand or traffic for your website. As I said before, the 'Like' button is the most powerful feature of Facebook, that can create an avalanche effect, that can divert traffic towards any link shared or any brand advertised. Sign up into Facebook, create your business fan page today and consistently update it to reach out to potential custom- ers! B. E-Marketing Strategy In general terms, an e-marketing strategy consists of the steps taken and procedures followed for marketing a brand through the web. The center of attraction in any e-marketing strategy is the website of the company to which Internet users are to be attracted for increasing sales. But firstly, the company's website needs to be in a proper design, format, attractive, and one that will have a good impression on prospective buyers. Components of a Good Internet Marketing Strategy Search Engine Optimization A study conducted shows that around 90% of Americans use the Internet daily, with over 2/3rd of purchases being researched on the Internet. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a procedure that relates to attracting Internet traffic to your website as much as possible. SEO is crucial for online marketing success of your business. It includes optimizing your website in such a way that your site would be ranked on the initial pages of the search, so that the web users can visit your website for the contents they are in search of. This is done using keyword phrases that the users generally put in the Internet search engines for searching a particular product or service. Email Marketing Strategy Another important component of an effective e-marketing strategy is email marketing which is all about sending information of the product and services to the potential customers using email. This is a proven effective method of using online marketing as an efficient tool for busi- ness generation. It is also a very good business marketing technique for building good business relations with potential customers, as well as prospective clients. Online Advertising Online advertising is a marketing method, that has a very substantial Return On Investment (ROI) value. It consists of placing advertisements of products and services on the company website, sites which are ranking on the first pages of the search engine, and sites which are getting a con- siderable amount of traffic from Internet users. Internet affiliate marketing is a very good exam- ple of online advertising, which relates to paying your company's product advertiser as per the sales generation. Online Newsletters You can even think of online newsletters as a decent way to pass on product information for promoting your product and services. Businesses generally issue online newsletters to regular customers for letting them know what new introductory offers are available and which new
  • 11. products are likely to be launched. Unlike email marketing, these online newsletters are issued at regular time intervals. Media News Rooms A media news room is a facility on the web that includes most of the company blogs and infor- mation which can be accessed by social media. If the company information reaches the social media, it takes no time for the information and news to be transferred to the general public. The information in media news rooms is usually available to journalists and bloggers, who are visitors searching for specific news and facts of the products and not just general information. This is al- so one of the most effective Internet marketing strategies. C. How To Sell Stuff Online: Tips Some of the tips on how to sell stuff online are mentioned below. Look In For Websites That Rock! There are a number of websites that have changed the dynamics of the internet marketing. The- se websites give you can opportunity to advertise your products and services, so that they can reach to a wider market. Google Ad words and Google Ad sense have ruled the internet market by their brilliant strategies and amazing reach to the millions and millions of global audience. Some others websites like EBay and Amazon have carved a niche on their own! If you wish to sell your products targeting many customers, then you have got to formally register on these sites and pay for the advertisements as per their plans. You can advertise your products on web- sites that will help you link your products to other websites also. Go For Email Marketing! Email marketing techniques are a novel option, if you wish to advertise your products. There are many email marketing best practices that can guide you through with a better business strategy, if you are opting for email marketing. Social Networking is the Order of The Day! There is no doubt in the fact that the social networking sites are accessed by more than half of the internet users. There are many social networking websites that can advertise the products by linking them in their websites. However, online marketing on social networking sites should not annoy the user by stuffing the site with advertisements only! The idea is to give relevant links and products, instead of just stuffing the page with any advertisements. Try to link the adver- tisements through games, graphics and interesting fun to do things on these sites! Banner Advertising is The Perfect Idea! The idea of banner advertising is a very creative approach, that aims to provide the users some entertainment as well as help businesses advertise their products on a large scale. In banner ad- vertising, the web developers embed an advertisement onto the webpage and hence advertise
  • 12. the products. The users are provided with certain pop ups of games, video music and various other features, that can entertain them and indirectly highlight the product of the firm. And Of Course There's Blogging! Blogging is the 'hip' thing nowadays! It's a real and widely popular means of business and per- sonal communication. So, if you have to make your product reach maximum people, then blog- ging is a bright idea. D. Website Marketing Strategy Effective web site marketing is the core of every online business strategy. Businesses around the world now enjoy web presence that enables entrepreneurs to reach out to potential cus- tomers beyond geographical constraints. How is a customized web site business marketing strategy applied? The internet technology is harnessed within business operations like marketing with the help of the search engines. The optimization of this very potent component of online or web site marketing does not lie in the adoption of tactics to ‘fool’ the search engines. The profession- als who help an online businessman to adopt a customized web site business marketing strategy apply strategies that are legitimate and techniques that are tried and tested. There are special SEOP or Search Engine Optimization Professional discussion forums that are orga- nized to educate the online businessman on web site marketing strategies and prepare him to make the most of the exercise. Why is a web site marketing strategy important to the online business? The web presence of any company is via the content that appears online, at a click, and the graphics and visuals presented. The businessman has a limited time frame in which he can ei- ther make the viewer inquisitive about the company’s products and services or lose the cus- tomer to a competitor with a better customized web site business marketing strategy. Search engine marketing is quick and follows simple guidelines. On the web, content rules and the website marketing strategy ensures that web site traffic steadily increases to the company’s home page. Search engine optimization is a very important element of the robust internet marketing strategy. The online business can grow by leaps and bounds with effective site promotion, web development and e-business ethics. The best website business marketing strategy: The best way to market the business products and services is by ensuring its visibility in the major search engines. A dedicated effort has to be made to ensure that the business gets listed at the top of the SERP or Search Engine Page Ranking. Search Engine Optimization in-
  • 13. volves a sincere and linear approach to keep in place the website and its content, business- specific keywords, effective title and Meta tags and links etc. The website must be designed in a way that it necessarily addresses specific traffic online. The On Page Optimization and Off Page Optimization should be used in a way that the new and old web pages are both visible at all times. This is real value for investment and a sure shot ‘hit’ on the target clientele. Ways to ensure effective website marketing: Website marketing strategies should be applied keeping in mind that marketing is the key factor for the success for any business. Online marketing and web presence is not at all easy to achieve, especially for freshers. However, with a good strategy in place and a lot of dedi- cated work – nothing is impossible! Web marketing is nothing but a way to capitalize online, using the internet approach. Since not every businessman has the time and commitment to personally develop a website marketing strategy for the business, there are professionals who step in and guide the process. Effective website marketing is a ‘pointer’ that the businessman navigates. As the business en- vironment changes, the objective of the marketing strategy adopted is also expected to direct energies towards the best action plan. It is very important to adopt a website marketing strat- egy to remain focused on your marketing efforts to generate only the best for your business. The website marketing strategy should be aligned with the other online efforts made to achieve overall company objectives. The web presence screams out through a consistent style and message and the site's status. You need to effectively market the business products and services using the existing website or creating one exclusively for the purpose. Website enhancements work like magic in improving the business presence online. It is im- portant to ensure that the business objectives, strategies, and adopted tactics and focus change with time, according to the online market rules. A website marketing plan focuses on internet extensive marketing strategies and programs to encompass the entire business. The implementation of a website marketing program improves the business’ chances of success. E. Increase Website Traffic for Free To increase website traffic, you've to focus on several different options available on the Internet. Now these methods required to increase web traffic can be costly and, in case you don't have enough budget for that, you can focus on some simple methods to increase website traffic for free.
  • 14. How to Increase Website Traffic for Free If you don't have sufficient budget to spend on some costly methods of boosting web traffic on your website, then you needn't worry. There are several ways of getting free traffic using numer- ous methods. Get some ideas on increasing web traffic without spending money, in the further paragraphs. Optimization Works Wonders Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can make a world of difference in the quality of your rankings. Enlisting your websites on major Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN submit your website on less popular web directories. Larger the number of your listings, better will be your rankings. Keyword is the King Only with awesome content on the Internet, you can't rank. With apt keywords and awesome content, you can surely rank. Keywords are valuable. They can help you to garner huge traffic. If you wish to know the biggest secret of 'how to increase website traffic for free, then you've to fo- cus on keywords related to your content. Online Directories Enhance Cyber Presence If you think your website content is impressive and can provide quality information to people searching for legitimate information on the Internet, then you can register on various online di- rectories. Internet affiliate marketing strategists often pick up websites' from such directories, that filter relevant websites for their usage. Linking Attracts Traffic Manage your website by properly using fundamentals of exchange links and link building. Share or, rather trade links of other websites similar to the content provided on your website. Be cau- tious not to trade links with those sites that are poor in content, as that questions the credibility of information provided on your website. Forums are to Discuss Online forums are there to share valuable information regarding the presence of websites that provide productive information on the Internet. These forums can help you to increase web traffic. Exist on Blogs Blogging has become a trend these days. While connecting to large human network, you can ex- clude blogger. Some really popular blogs can provide you increased web traffic on the internet. When you exist on blogs, users can reach out to your website and hence web traffic increases. Why not create your website related to your blog, or stand alone blog and drive traffic to your website.
  • 15. Viral Marketing = Increased Web Traffic Through numerous ways like flash games, video clips, word-of-mouth publicity, video games, Ebooks, brochures, software, text messages, yellow pages, you can use viral marketing techniques to enhance web traffic for free. Be a Social Bee Social networking is the order of the day. Where else to share information about your website than on Facebook, Twitter etc. Around the Globe Through Advertising Internet advertising has gone from its nascent stage to being the next buzz on Internet. Spread your presence around the globe by sharing information for audiences all across the globe, in dif- ferent nations, and if possible in different languages. This generates web traffic and people with knowledge about their particular language can find it easier to read information on your website. Freebies are Effective Distribute freebies like CDS, DVDs through your website. Just ask for a free sign up and give your users an opportunity to get some information about your website and some other information. Hopefully, through this write up, you must have become aware of some steps on 'how to increase website traffic for free'. Use these methods to your advantage and drive web traffic on your web- site. And definitely, these are not the only ways. There are various other ways on how to increase web traffic for free. Just keep your eyes and ears open and you will find various effective ways of driving web traffic without spending money. F. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Search engine marketing is an Internet marketing tool, which popularizes a website by optimizing its results when searched. Use this tool to make the most for your website to carve your niche in the market. Importance of Pay Per Click in Search Engine Optimization Service Pay Per Click is used on search en- gines, advertising networks, blogs, where advertisers have to pay when a
  • 16. user actually clicks on an ad to visit the advertiser's website. SEM or search engine marketing is a form of Internet marketing that promotes websites by enhancing their position in search engine result pages. Pay Per Click is one of the methods adopted in search engine marketing. Now one may ask, what is Pay Per Click? Many consider Pay Per Click as an easy method of reaching the top rank on search engine results page. But it is not so. This method can however if used in a discreet manner one it may help to improve the rank. Pay Per Click (PPC) is used on search engines, advertising networks, blogs, where advertisers have to pay when a user actually clicks on an ad to visit the advertiser's website. Advertisers make a bid on keywords, which they consider as their target market may use as search terms while looking for a product or service. When a keyword query, matching the advertiser's keyword list is typed by the advertiser, or views a page with relevant content, the advertiser's ad is visible. These ads are known as "Sponsored link" or "spon- sored ads" and appear above the "natural" results on search engine results pages. Many customers may feel that PPC being a paid marketing strategy is an easy thing to handle, when it is actually not so. The PPC advertising campaigns often face stiff competition when it comes to price bid- ding and it is definitely not an easy task to manage a series of advertisements, keeping into mind the fi- nancial aspect. One has to be very careful before engaging any Search Engine Placement Services. Before engaging the Search Engine Optimization Service one should find out whether the SEO firm has the experience and expertise in PPC advertising model so that they can work out the complete PPC cam- paign for the client and can give assurance of its success. Moreover, the professionally qualified consult- ants should be able to provide the best deals on PPC services for guaranteed increase in the business pro- spects. The Search Engine Placement Service needs to be very competitive and cost effective, giving the best guarantee for assured results. G. Home Based Affiliate Business. Home based affiliate businesses are slowly coming to prominence and there are several people who are opting for such a side business, to make some extra cash. In the following article, a considerable explana- tion to the features and business opportunities for home based affiliate businesses have been provided. To know more about such home based businesses read on If you are asking the question 'how to start a home based affiliate business', then you have reached the perfect place on the web. Enhanced communication systems such as the Internet and telephones, has ex- panded the horizons of work at home based business opportunities. Fifty years back such business oppor- tunities were small in number and there were very few people who actually undertook such businesses which were operated from home offices. Today however, many stay-at-home parents undertake such businesses to earn some extra income. People who work on a full time basis, also tend to take up such opportunities as side businesses. There are several advantages and some limited disadvantages of such home based affiliate business schemes. Such businesses are also excellent avenues to start a business with little or no money.
  • 17. In the following paragraphs, some work at home business opportunities have been described. A round about and brief job description and requirements for starting a business of this sort have also been in- cluded. Have a look… Internet Advertising and Marketing The concept of Internet advertising and marketing is the best example of Internet home businesses. Such businesses basically require a computer, Internet connection and a good language. In Internet advertising the company will ask you to write reviews and feed back on different media, portals, blogs and in some cases social networking sites. Employers of such businesses usually tend to pay you on the volume of work that you have completed. Potential employer home based Internet affiliate business companies in- clude, marketing, sales and advertising companies and also consumer goods manufacturing companies. The best aspect of such a business is that there is no obligation regarding the volume of work that is to be completed per week or month. You may also refer to business marketing, for further inputs. In some cases such business is also known as a cash only survey. In such a business , you will have to participate in sev- eral questionnaire and review surveys. Multi level Marketing A new kind of business model that is being adopted is that of Multi Level Marketing (MLM). In such a marketing you become a customer, cum agent, of the company that provides some specific services and you will have the power to recruit a specified number of people below you, who will further recruit people beneath them. After every new recruit under your pyramid, the company will reward you. Such a kind of business model is sometimes also known as network marketing. In the network marketing, the maximum number of recruits that can be taken is larger than that of multi level marketing. This home based affiliate business model is used by companies who provide services and, in some cases, take a monthly or yearly subscription. Media companies, travel companies, software companies often take in such MLM models to successfully market their products. You may refer to MLM leads for marketing ideas. Direct Sales The home based affiliate marketing business can sometimes also be used for direct sales. People in the western world often demand goods and services from eastern countries and vice versa. Producer compa- nies cannot afford to set up an office in some other country, hence, they appoint a sales agent who oper- ates the sales and marketing operation as a home based affiliate business. This business is often consid- ered to be a business franchise of the producer company. In some cases, to setup the business a special- ized knowledge of the product and its market is also required. In some cases regionally produced com- modities can also be sold by home based businesses. Some financial institutions also appoint insurance, securities and credit agents for sales. Travel and home and lifestyle companies also, many a times include, home based affiliate business for sales.
  • 18. There are countless home based affiliate business opportunities and it is anticipated that they will go on increasing, owing to the fact that companies find marketing, advertising and selling their products through such home based affiliate businesses very convenient and also a lot cheaper. Some other oppor- tunities include answering service jobs from home and assisted living business, which are some of the very needed businesses in today's society. It must be however noted that such home based business income opportunities should be taken up by stay-at-home parents or as passive income sources as the total yield of the activity is good but not exactly over the top. Exercise caution while undertaking such an activity. I hope that the elaboration on the home based affiliate business proves to be resourceful. 3. Introduction of Social Networking What is Social Networking ? Socializing on the web has attained an all new level, with millions of users continuously hooked on to this addictive medium of social networking. Meeting new people, making new friends and staying in touch with them, has become so easy, thanks to this interactive web medium of social networking. These social networking websites have given us loads of fun stuff to do online. Meeting New People Online: Tips To make new friends online, you have to be very clear about your Intent. Why do you want to know someone? It is fairly simple to go on adding thousands of friends on any of your social networking account but if you really wish to learn how to meet people online, you must know your intent of what you're doing. Your intent may can be anything like you're bored of being single and you're searching for a po- tential soul mate, you're starting a new busi- ness and so you need to contact people who have done it before, you love poetry writing and so you wish to join forums or websites that promote poetry writing. The reason why you wish to meet new people completely depends on individual preferences
  • 19. and needs. Once you're clear about why you wish to know new people, you can proceed to the next step; to join relevant websites. If you wish to date someone, you can join reliable adult dating websites. If you just wish to promote your business, you can add people working with same business ideas by joining a social networking website like Facebook or twitter. Apart from these options, you can start blogging and follow or invite numerous people who're active bloggers. In fact, there are a large number of blogging networks that even conduct monthly and quarterly meetings of bloggers by considering geographical locations. You can meet new people even there. If you wish, you can use online chat rooms wherein you can talk to like minded people. So are you getting how to meet people online? For effective people search, you have to use Internet search engines. Just type the relevant keywords in Google search engine or Yahoo and go the desired websites, register your- self (in some cases registration is free while in some, it is chargeable) and lo! You're there, with a profile in the cyber world. While it is fairly easy to make new friends online, as an Internet technology user, you must be aware about Internet safety steps. Given the enormity of the cyberspace, it is one of the most vulnerable technologies. There are whooping number of Internet dating scams that can leave you shattered if you're not joining reliable sources or in case, you're being foolish by divulging more than necessary information about your- self. An awareness of online dating advantages and disadvantages is essential to ensure that your privacy is not infiltrated by people with nefarious pursuits. Even the latest social mania, facebook has several threats. Facebook dangers can be controlled by limiting your information on this website and being aware of safety settings. The trick is to meet people online safely and that is the vital point to research when gathering information about how to meet people online. Online users must understand that they must take all precautions while meeting new people online, as their safety is more important that increasing friend's count.
  • 20. About the Author Hussain Ali is the man behind a focal point of his passion for Social Media, Graphic Designing and IT. He is the principle Co-founder of Social Media Kuwait & Founder of Software World Solutions India. He has earned several qualifications, Including a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Graphic design, Network Professional and Electronic Media. Click the below Links & Follow me Email : info.hussainobri@gmail.com
  • 21. Acknowledgments I would like to personally thank the following people for their contributions to inspiring me for this book:  Abdulaziz Binhouhou  Ghadeer Al-Essa  Danah Alasfour  Abeer Al Abduljalil © Copyright Software World Solutions 2009-2011. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher has used its best efforts in preparing this book, and the information provided herein is provided "as is." Software World Solutions” makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Trademarks: This book identifies product names and services known to be trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. They are used through- out this book in an editorial fashion only. In addition, terms suspected of being trade- marks, registered trademarks, or service marks have been appropriately capitalized, alt- hough Software World Solutions cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, regis- tered trademark, or service mark. Software World Solutions is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.