I must admit this is very new to me. Up until a few months ago, I had no idea what social media marketing meant. Putting comments on Facebook or Twitter seemed like a giant waste of time and anyway who cares about my daily life and what I am doing. Much to my surprise it is much more than the daily musings of people who have nothing better to do, but rather a marketing tool to get your company seen and heard, build your brand awareness and increase sales and leads. Who knew?

There are many definitions for Social Media Marketing, “A form of Internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media”. Another definition “It is all about connecting people. You can use social media to find people with the same interests, to discuss and ask questions, to find products you might need, and to help you find a job”.

There are many social media marketing tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Bookmarking sites like Digg, Blogs, and video sites like YouTube. As you can see, there is a lot to learn if you want this medium to be part of your marketing efforts. All of this was way over my head so after much research, I decided that I needed someone to teach me. Again, with much research I found the Renegade System, and slowly but surely I am finding my way around this complex marketing system.

There are staggering numbers associated with the rise of social media, but like me, I think most people still do not know what to do with it. The ones that figure it out will see their businesses grow exponentially. What we need to do is find our niche and that comes from knowing the differences between social sharing sites, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, and social news sites. They all come with a different set of rules and expectations and it is up to us to understand the unique characteristics of each site and who is using them.

Ultimately, we have to do a lot of research and it is worth it to reap real returns for your business. This does not need to be difficult; there are places where one can get help. This is the new Yellow Pages where people are going for information and recommendations on product and services. Actually, 61% of search inquires are made online as opposed to in print. It is clear then that social media marketing has to be part of your overall marketing efforts. You can be sure that your competition is doing it and your customers are using it as well.