Creative social media marketing is one form of marketing that you would be unwise to neglect if you are serious about building your business, whether an online business or a traditional bricks and mortar business.

Social Media is not just about websites and advertising

There are millions of web2.0 sites in the world, and thousands that are there to provide a social network element to their users. But social networking is not about websites, though that is what many people think. Social networking is not about Facebook, Myspace, squidoo, blogs and social bookmarking sites, those are just the places that social networking happens.

Social networking is about individuals communicating on their own terms ñ they are in control of the communications, now you, so you must be relevant and interesting to them.

Where they want ñ in the old days online marketing was about getting people to your website so you can sell to them, but now it is about bring the message to them where they want to hang out.

With the people they want ñ if you are not relevant and interesting to them, then they will disconnect from you very quickly.

They communicate as a tribe ñ if you strike a note with them then they will tell their friends and your message will go viral. Become part of their tribe and let them promote you to their friends.

Creative Social Media Marketing is Multi-Media

Gone are the days when you can simply use flat websites with text and images and expect to hit the big time, that is old style Web1.0, and yet 97% of online business presences are exactly like that.

If you want to be effective in your social media marketing communications then be creative and use multi-media.

• Video

• Chat

• Email

• Audio

• SMS

• Articles

• Blogs

However your target audience want you to communicate that is exactly how you should be communicating.

The Four C's of Social Media Marketing

There are four key factors to successful social media marketing and if you miss any one of them you will not get the massive results that you would like.

• Capture

• Connect

• Communicate

• Close

Capture

If you donít have the ability to follow up with your audience you will loose them ñ you need to be able to keep in touch with them on an ongoing basis.

It takes an average of 5 to 7 communications before someone is ready to buy ñ too many businesses let people go away after just one contact.

Get them connected with you in a way that allows you to push information to them ñ make sure you are in the driving seat when it comes to your communications.

Connect

If you donít connect with them in a way that keeps their interest then they will disconnect very quickly. Remember they can unsubscribe, disconnect or bloc you at any time.

You need to build rapport, create interest in what you have to say, build a tribe of like minded followers. Treat them like you would a friend you really care about.

Make sure you keep there interest:

• Educate

• Entertain

• Help

If you are on there side, they will grow to trust you and that is a key factor in building your own tribe of raving fan customers.

Communicate

Wherever someone wants you to communicate with them, that is exactly where you should be communicating with them:

• Email

• Facebook

• RSS

• Blog posts

• SMS

• Podcasts

• Twitter

• Youtube

• iTunes

• Any other route they want.

Be flexible, be multi-channel, be where your target audience wants you to be.

Close

People buy from people they know, like and trust. That is why it is so important to follow all these steps. You canít close a sale until you have completed the other steps.

Build the people who connect with you into a tribe. Make sure that you encourage the communication to be two way. Report back answers to questioned to the entire group.

Turn this tribe into paying customers that will love your products and love to talk about it to others. Once you have build rapport, built trust and successfully shown that you know your subject the sales process just needs you to put together an effective offer that encourages immediate action.

Create a sales process to generate the sales. Put together a comprehensive sales process that leads your prospects from initial contact through to raving fan customers.

The entire creative social media marketing process is designed to make the entire sales process one that builds your brand and makes the sale automatic.