Demographics in Social Media Network Marketing

The marketing plan for any company includes the demographics of their target audience. Who they are trying to reach can be segmented out so as to allow for different marketing strategies for each segment. It makes more sense to advertise a product appealing to 18 to 24 year olds predominantly to 18 to 24 year olds. Social media networks are valuable marketing vehicles. The demographics of each social network should be reviewed to develop an effective marketing plan for each one.

It’s probably no surprise to anyone that the social networking sites MySpace and Facebook are visited most of the time by people between the ages of 18 and 24. Their gender breakdown is almost the same: 63% female, 36% male. Is this demographic the market for your product or service? If so, it could be very beneficial to develop a profile and actively participate in these communities. If you are not trying to reach this demographic it is still worth your time to develop a presence on MySpace and Facebook. There are still millions of users or 31% over 24 who are using these networks.

Once you know which market segment each social media network appeals to you can focus your message and profile to that segment. For example, Linkedin.com readers have the highest household incomes and are good targets for high-end or premium products or services. Propellor.com and stumbleupon.com have the highest percentage of over 65 visitors if this is the market you are trying to reach.

You can find demographic information on these social media networks on quantcast.com. Enter the domain name and it provides a summary of the U.S. demographics and a traffic summary. It tells you what categories visitors to that domain are also likely to visit broken down into: Communities, Photo/Video Sharing and Movies. It also shows what other sites visitors to that domain are likely to visit.

Reviewing the demographic information freely available to you enables you to determine if that community is a good fit for your message and if it would be a good use of your time. It also helps you enter and participate in these communities with the knowledge you need to interact appropriately. MySpace and Facebook have the most traffic and should be used. From there you need to determine what other social communities are worth your time to participate in. Marketing opportunities differ in each community in terms of how you will get your message out, be it with groups, blogs or other internal applications.

Lynn Jebbia is a Senior Project Manager at ArteWorks SEO, a search engine marketing company. Her focus is SEO Strategy, Keyword Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Web Site Audits, Pay Per Click Management and Client Account Management.

Social Media Marketing for Small Business Entrepreneurs

I was thinking the other day why I have enjoyed consulting with small business owners for so many years. Talk about reality shows. What is more real than talking to the person who created, owns and operates a business? They have made their dream a reality. It’s a whole different conversation and level of engagement from talking to a marketing or business development manager working for a small or mid-size company. I don’t mean to imply that the marketing or business development manager knows less about the company’s business than the owner. It’s about the level of passion for the business. Passion or entrepreneurial zeal, as we know, doesn’t always translate into being able to run a company successfully but I love to hear their story.

I enjoy the initial phase of a search engine optimization or pay per click management campaign for any new client. We call this the discovery phase where we gather quantitative and qualitative information about a business to lay the groundwork for the project. The more we know about what they do, how they do it, who they are trying to reach and what their goals are the better we can develop and implement a successful online marketing strategy for them.

One big difference I notice almost immediately when talking to an entrepreneur is the desire to talk about their business. You never have to worry about keeping the conversation going that’s for sure. Entrepreneurs love to talk about their business. It’s their passion. That’s why they are doing it. Many businesses, if not most, are built based on the personality of the owner and more often than naught these owners have an outgoing, engaging personality. That is why social media marketing can be so powerful for small business owners.

Social media marketing is not just about creating profiles on facebook, myspace, linkedin and other social media networks to try to create buzz and links to your web site. It’s about being actively engaged in the networks. Let people get to know you. Be real. Tell them about your business, why you do it and how you do it. Not from a sales and marketing stand point so it sounds like every other Tom, Dick and Harry selling the same thing but from your personal stand point – your personality – let it shine through. Just a warning here, if you are a real drone with a negative view point on the world this might not work. :>) Find people with the same interests as yours and participate in their discussions. It has to be a two way network for it to work best.

Are you thinking how in the heck am I supposed to find enough time to do this plus run my business? This is a valid point but if done correctly this can reap big benefits for your business. Millions and millions of people are participating in social media networks every day. Instead of actively participating in 4 or 5 determine which one best fits your desired demographic and focus predominantly on that one. Also, you might really enjoy it. Just talk about your favorite topic – your business.

Lynn Jebbia is a Senior Project Manager at ArteWorks SEO, a search engine marketing company. Her focus is SEO Strategy, Keyword Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Web Site Audits, Pay Per Click Management and Client Account Management.