Social Media Marketing is the official term for using what has become known as Web2.0 or social media to promote your business. Understanding what this means for your business starts with revisiting how you see the web. One of my favorite books on the evolution of online spaces is Cluetrain Manifesto. It’s where I first began rethinking the web and began to understand that the web is really a set of clustered conversations. Back in 1997 when our small team started designing websites, we saw the web as a series of billboards or brochures, a one-way communication. What Web 2.0 means for your business is the arrival of tools that make it easy to transform your “brochure-ware” or web 1.0 website into a dynamic tool for engaging in a conversation with your community.

The “community” of website visitors you attract is made up not only of your customers and prospects, but also of peers and possible joint venture partners, bloggers, reporters, and other people in a position to influence the opinions of your customers and prospects, and even your suppliers and vendors. You get to start a conversation with them that will not only bring you more business, but it positions you to attract exactly the kind of customers you want to work with the most.

Tagged as: cluetrain, conversations, marketing strategy, online community, online marketing, Social Media Marketing, social networks, web2.0