The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue

• Share valuable content. If you find a great site or useful tidbit, share. It’s also okay to share content that you wrote yourself, as long as it’s useful. My company gets 20 percent of our website traffic from Twitter using this method. Note: If you are sharing feedback on a place you’ve just visited, the latest article you’ve read, or someone’s

If you use Twitter, you can search for people with similar interests or problems (that you can solve!). This is also why it is important to drive people to your website and collect their information there.

We are active on Facebook as well and have recently begun video postings using the alpha of 12seconds.tv; we’re currently exploring additional enhancements to both sites (www.binendswine.com and www.twittertastelive.com) that will create a much more interactive experience for our users.

The combination of Facebook, Twitter, and the blog have worked well for the Coalition. One by itself wouldn’t be nearly as effective. The Coalition has been able to leverage the interplay between the three networks and the Coalition’s existing website, each of which reaches a different audience, providing opportunities to repurpose content.

such as “increase web traffic by 10 percent, ” “be mentioned on outside blog posts at least 12 times per year, ” and “obtain bulk donations of specific in-kind items at least three times a year from social media ‘asks.’”

is important that you find a handful of influencers to interact with rather than just start sending out tweets to every other person you come across, because the right influencers are the people that can help you extend your reach, heighten your visibility, and ultimately gain Twitter followers for your blog/ business/organization/self.

Do you have a social media marketing strategy? I use LinkedIn to establish industry relevance, promote my brand, and position myself as an expert in my field. I use Facebook to share career information and post events. I use Twitter to share important tips and links to articles and posts with my audience. I also use it to follow my competitors and

If you don’t search, you won’t know who is looking for you—and, perhaps more importantly, who might have a complaint or concern. Complaints and concerns are best addressed publicly so others can see that you are a company that cares and is tuned in.

Social media matters to the Coalition because when they needed extra help, their online network—people who were strangers just months ago—stepped up to the plate.