If there is one thing the past seven months has taught us, it is just how powerful social media can be. Businesses were quick to notice too — in less than a month, almost every company worth its salt launched a Twitter or Facebook page. The advent of social media has pushed companies to become more creative as well. Instead of a traditional ‘invite the press and hope for a review of your new products’ PR stunt, Nokia held a press conference solely for the movers and shakers of the blogging world to publicize its new Nokia E7 smartphone a few months ago.

If you’re already a big shot in the business world, new to entrepreneurship or just interested in selling the occasional pie here and there, it’s time to tap into the world of online marketing, and more specifically, social media marketing to get your message across. Here are a few marketing ideas to reach out to your customers online without losing your mind — or potential new clients.

Identify your target market
Social networks are open to everyone — everyone who can afford internet access, that is. Consequently, it is only good for reaching a certain target market. To start with, you need to identify who you want to connect with and then find out if those same people are online.
If you’re only targeting the lower-income consumers who are unlikely to have access to the internet, there’s no need for you to keep reading because social media isn’t for you. But if you’re selling any mass-market, medium- or high-end product, then read on.

Sure, a billboard will get you noticed by a few thousands stuck on Mehwar every evening, but it will also likely cost you a few million pounds. While Coca-Cola and Vodafone are more than happy to pay a small fortune on a TV or outdoor ad, smaller companies are unlikely to have that kind of marketing budget. Which is where social media comes in.

Facebook, Twitter and blogging can directly connect you to various age groups and economic demographics with very little investment upfront. It is not only effective, it is also cost effective and particularly good for reaching out to customers without having to bring out the big bucks. So although multinationals and local companies use it to connect to their customers, it is also useful for smaller businesses that want to connect with their customers without denting their wallets. Make sure you’re linking your Facebook or Twitter accounts to your website or blog. Have an RSS feed and keep your website fresh and linked to feeds from social websites.

Build up the ties
Social media is good for many things, but most importantly, it’s great for building a working relationship with your customer using a personal touch. It helps position your product as part of their daily routine. So while your consumers enjoy their Twitter feeds, they’ll get your update with your latest promotion dedicated exclusively to your followers as well.

Make them feel special
Your customer needs a reason to follow you. The reason can be exclusive information they get following you — never underestimate your consumers’ desire for innovation or early adoption. This is especially relevant when it comes to fashion and electronics, where the you’ll see trend-seekers vie to be the first to review or purchase your product. The reason can also be financial — be it discounts exclusive to your followers or promotions for those placing orders through the website.

Interact
Websites are a dynamic platform to receive feedback and make your customers feel part of your decision-making process. Use this. You can interact by simply asking customers for feedback. If you’re feeling more creative, you can offer free trials for a selected number of users or followers in return for a  review that will be published on the Facebook page or Twitter account.

You can also get customers to participate via competitions. Ask consumers to design your new logo in return for a month or two of free products — that is of course if you aren’t selling property or cars. Hold a competition for the customer who comes up with the funniest slogan for your new product’s launch. The ideas are countless but they will only work if you can find a way to get your clients excited and willing to interact with you.

Snowball
It isn’t enough to create the page or account and pray to the gods for more followers. You need to get members and followers to invite their friends and let them know you’re online. That can be done via  offering great deals through social media, so users will get something out of inviting their friends as well as show you’re worth following. Also consider making your followers an offer they can’t refuse. This can be done by giving everyone a free sample once the page reaches a certain number of fans, for instance.

Advertise yourself. Write it on your product packaging, put up a Facebook ad or hand out flyers — just let your customers know you exist online. You can always barter for deals with websites and blogs to place a link to your website or profile. Get creative.

Keep them hooked
It isn’t enough to simply attract followers or fans, you must keep them. Always keep in mind if you don’t like your Facebook page cluttered with inane chatter, useless information or spam, your customers might not either. Which reminds me, never add your customers to a group without their approval; it is plain annoying and they will leave just as fast as they were added.

Build loyalty
Because social media is a direct means of interaction, always make sure your clients feel you are keen on knowing what they think. If they make a complaint, be sure to take each and every one of them seriously and send individual responses. That also means making sure you are periodically asking fans and followers for their feedback, suggestions or to simply share their latest experience with your product or service. Loyalty can be as simple as having customers take pictures of themselves with the product. (People like seeing their pictures published on social networks, for some reason.)

Be the expert
Don’t just sell your product — sell expertise. If you’re selling shampoo, create a sub-group that discusses hair health. Don’t tell them to use your product. Instead, have them associate your shampoo with keeping their hair healthy. Be the expert in your industry so that they turn to you for advice, which takes you beyond just selling a product and positions you as an industry guru.

Be tech-savvy
Use bookmarking services like Google Buzz or Google Bookmarks to keep track of potential clients. Check out Topsy.com, a social media search engine that tells you what’s hot in the social media world as well as highlights what people are talking about and where they are going to read or comment about it. It also lists social media trends, which is essential for social media marketers. Use tags and keywords to get higher search hits using software like Google Keywords Tools. bt