Social Media Marketing Goes Viral

15 March 2012 – Branding is a constant effort by businesses to ultimately establish their names and most small and medium business (SMBs) are now taking media marketing as a leading factor in planning an overall marketing and branding strategy.

Social media is everywhere these days, and the most common people who surf the Internet are sure to have one or two social media accounts that they currently update or visit. Social media marketing has gone viral. It has become central to many business’s marketing and Web presence building strategy. The power of social media simply cannot be ignored. But beyond what happens right in front of our faces, or in this case, our computer screens, social media is taking over the Internet marketing industry in more ways than one.

Currently, the biggest prevalent trend is social media, followed by a mobile Web surfing trend that can be considered in its infancy compared to social media. These two “big” things are perfect examples of what businesses and online endeavors need to prepare for and take advantage of. Case in point: social media marketing.

While social media is not a separate platform from the Web itself, it is big enough to merit a lot of rethinking and re-planning. It is not uncommon to see big companies planning separate social media marketing strategies aside from their current overall branding efforts. Of course, they all blend together into one churning machine that bolsters the growth of the company.

This social media optimization as it is now mostly revolves around social validation and the power it holds over consumer behavior. 90% of online consumers will make a purchase when a trusted friend of family member advises them to. 80% don’t make decisions until they hear from peers. 60% of online window shoppers turn to active consumers after a good recommendation from a reputable source. All these statistics are pointing in one general direction for online business owners: social media.