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Every Internet marketer out there uses social media marketing with Facebook and Twitter to help businesses reach out to customers. And why not? Facebook has more than 517 million active users, or roughly 7% of all humans on the planet, while Twitter has over 190 million members posting 95 million tweets per day.
In a typical American household of four, every member that uses a computer is probably on Facebook or Twitter or both, whether they’re aged 15 or 50. The sheer volume of potential consumers to connect with has made these two social media sites a very attractive advertising platform for small businesses that are either targeted towards a niche market or simply cannot afford to launch a campaign on a national scale.
Reach a targeted audience through social media marketing with Facebook and Twitter
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Whereas TV commercials do reach a wider audience, Facebook and Twitter provide a distinct key advantage when it comes to advertising: they target a specific audience.
If you’re selling books or organic dog food, you can easily find book and dog lovers on Twitter by doing a category search. If you want to promote a guide on going green, you can join Facebook groups that are dedicated to fighting global warming. You can even establish connections with a specific age bracket, whether you’re marketing music players or elder care services.
Unlike TV commercials that run during a particular spot with the hope that potential customers are watching, advertising on Facebook and Twitter allows businesses to talk directly to people who are likely to buy their products or services.
Social media marketing with Facebook and Twitter: why Facebook is better
In terms of traffic and usage, Facebook is better than Twitter. In fact, Facebook is the second most visited site on the planet today next to Google.
Facebook is also more interactive. While Twitter allows you to interact with only two or three people at a time, Facebook is a great platform for group discussions.
Let’s take the pet care niche market for example. You set up a pet care fan page on Facebook and get a few “likes” the first few days from friends who are already in your network. You post a great article about the benefits of using organic dog shampoo. Some of your fans post comments or questions. Make sure you reply to every single comment to let your fans know you value their opinion.
The next day, you post a video of a breeder giving his dog a bath using the same shampoo. Facebook is configured to send fans frequent updates from pages they like so your video shows up on their live feed. Their friends discover your page from this feed, they become fans too and join the discussions, and your following grows.
Some will eventually try out the shampoo and if they liked it they will tell their friends about it. Facebook has the potential to give you a community of loyal followers who are not merely passive observers but advocates of your brand.
Social media marketing with Facebook and Twitter: why Twitter is better
In terms of viral marketing benefits, Twitter has an advantage over Facebook because of Google’s real time search feature which can display tweets.
Twitter is like a newspaper on steroids – it delivers event updates to you as they happen. As a marketing tool, it enables business owners to build a loyal following and send out sales messages to everyone in this community in just a click of a button.
You can use Twitter to promote an upcoming tradeshow, announce a “deal of the day” discount, send out a press release, drive traffic to your blog or website, or respond to a negative feedback before it becomes a PR nightmare.
Because Twitter only allows you to tweet up to 140 characters, it has become very appealing to users who easily get bored with long sales pitches. You can tweet a short message and attach a link directing your followers to more detailed information.
Facebook and Twitter both have benefits that you’ll want to take advantage of when doing Internet marketing. Just bear in mind that these are social sites where tact is most important. Do not be over promotional and do not spam. Online reputation management is a key success factor when doing social media marketing with Facebook and Twitter.
