Whether you are running an ecommerce website, affiliate marketing or a simple content marketing website, there are many ways in which a well executed social media campaign can bolster your online businesses. Social media is today a staple of every online business venture as the web has become entirely social. Every online business startup being launched today needs a Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter profiles along with other social media portals. So how can the use of social networking sites help your online businesses?

Social media provides value for customers

The most important advantage of social media in online businesses is the two way exchange of information that offers customers value. The voice behind the social media channel can answer customer queries in real time and offer instant solutions. Customer engagement is key to the success of every social media campaign. It increases the value of your brand online while creating a loyal fan base that will be willing to buy your products in the future based on the positive online experience offered through social media.

Getting Feedback from Customers

Social media can help you generate value by getting real time feedback from your customers and prospects. Many organizations now use social media as a crowdsourcing tool to get ideas from the marketplace. Social media is also used during product launches to gauge the popularity of the product or service.

Boosting Sales

Some companies have found innovative ways to boost their product sales through social media tools. Some of the most famous brands on Twitter that actually bolster their sales through social media engagement include JetBlue, Starbucks and Dell amongst others. A popular method that companies use is running promotions and sweepstakes. Companies also share coupon codes online that customers can use to get discounts for their purchases.

Increase in web traffic

You social media channels are key to boosting web traffic for online businesses. Online businesses can share links to websites and other pages promoting their content on various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Corporate blogs amongst other channels. These online footprints can in turn generate lots of traffic over the long term. Some of these links can “go viral” which in turn leads to massive web traffic that can be converted to a much bigger income stream for your company.

Best free social media tools

There are a wide range of social media tools for businesses to reach out their virtual customer base. They serve to offer you a lot of possibilities for an interactive engagement and communication to help you pass on information to customers. From blogs to micro blogs to wikis, these social media tools have been developed to help you tap into your clientele in a cost effective way.

Blogs and Micro blogs

To create a blog for yourself, you can visit blogging sites such as word Press, Blogger and type pad and even Technorati. Through your own blog, you can communicate and interact with your clients. This is because of the platform for comments and reviews that you are able to get from your fans. You are similarly able to describe your business and brand and give people a general idea of your plan and expectations. Micro blogs include, twitter, Jaiku, Pownce and Tumblr, these allow for constant communication on a day to day basis and is more interactive.

Social Networking and Wikis

Facebook and MySpace are the most common tools in the category of social networking sites. Ning is similarly another site that actually allows you to design and create your own site. They are interactive sites that are instant and constant. Through Facebook for example, you are able to have your clients and potential clients like your page. Once they have liked your page, they are able to receive constant updates and they can also consult and comment on your quality of business and professionalism. This gives you a space and a chance for growth. Wikis are collaborative, they contain already written information but they still allow for the editing and updating of information on a continuous basis. You as a company or a brand can create your own wiki through a wikifarm. Some of the wikis that are most well-known are Wetpaint, Wikia and Wikipedia.

There are however several other numerous social media tools that are similarly interactive and work to hook you up with a market base. These include, YouTube, Bleep TV, Vimeo and Viddler which are for the sharing of videos. Here you can describe your services and discover how to use some of your service. Photo sharing tools like Flickr, shutterfly, Picasa and photo bucket allow you to share photos you might find interesting in order to advertise yourself. These tools are important for your growth as a brand.