Social Media Marketing through Facebook

If you want to make the most of social media marketing today, you better sign up with Facebook. According to a recent report from the Orlando Business Journal, Facebook has far outpaced its competitors in the first quarter of 2009, garnering 78 percent of US social network participants against MySpace’s 42 percent, LinkedIn’s 17 percent and Twitter’s 10 percent. Worldwide, Facebook was reported to have 307.1 million unique visitors in May 2009 while MySpace had less than half with a mere 123.2 million unique visitors. According to Facebook, its members are sending each other one billion chat messages each day.As early as 2008, a study done by Internet Retailer and Vovici showed that most online retailers in the US chose to use Facebook as a social media network to help boost sales. A separate study done by Rosetta among the top 100 US online retailers showed that 59% had set up a Facebook fan page. Among these retailers were Best Buy, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us.In order to make the most of your company’s Facebook fan page, though, you should familiarize yourself thoroughly with social media marketing as a whole, and with the way Facebook itself works in particular. It would be wholly counterproductive to make an online faux pas and earn ill will. Each social media network has its own temperament, after all, and its own set of rules and online etiquette. Members and users also have certain expectations from other members and users.Perhaps it would be best for a company not to risk experimentation by assigning this task to a newbie. Learn from the mistake of the New York Times whose new social media editor had no extensive knowledge of Twitter before diving in. As a result, her repost meant to point other Tweeter users to an online article ended up taking them to Ebay instead. Do not make the same mistake in Facebook or you will get a lot of negative comments instead of the favorable ones you need. It would be best to leave the task of handling your company’s social media marketing efforts to the experts.Social media marketing is one of the services offered by Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc. as a full service web site developer and a web hosting provider with domain name registration services. Web Dot Com recognizes that social media marketing, along with search engine optimization and search engine marketing, is now a necessity in the online marketplace. Having a good website with good landing pages are no longer enough.As an expert in online applications and solutions, as well as business process outsourcing (BPO) services, Web Dot Com has been trusted by clients from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Korea, the British Virgin Islands and the Philippines for the past ten years. Indeed, many companies have proven that outsourcing web development and other business processes is profitable.From its base in Manila, the Web Dot Com employs expert programmers and developers highly skilled in php, mysql, JavaScript and other tools and languages in order to provide low cost advanced web site development packages including advanced interactive database driven web site development, advanced portal development, heavy web based programming, web application development, content management systems, website design, graphic design and multimedia components including flash animation development, e-commerce site solutions including a shopping cart using osCommerce, website maintenance and support, and internet marketing. Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc. is your One Stop Shop Internet and Contact Center Solutions Vendor for the Global Market. Make it your social media marketing partner, as well.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc.Address: 2nd Floor, BT&T Center#20 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis (C-5),Quezon City, 1110 PhilippinesE-mail: info@webdc.com.phTelephone numbers: (632) 634-4625; (632) 635-6104

Social Media Marketing Errors of Wal-Mart at Facebook

hereas Target’s social media marketing efforts at Facebook were lauded and hailed as a resounding success, its competitor, Wal-Mart did not do as well in the same social network. In fact, in the estimation of some social media marketing authorities, Wal-Mart’s social media marketing foray failed miserably.Target’s success was attributed to its having done competent research on the medium before engaging with it, and then adapting its message and language to the Facebook culture. Target was able to make a perfect fit.Wal-Mart, on the other hand, either did not do its preliminary research, or just decided to have its own way. Actually, Wal-Mart already started out with a disadvantage. It has been widely criticized for its labor practices. Its corporate reputation has been under fire. Its presence on Facebook, therefore, could have been a way to face and defuse these controversies, if properly handled. It seemed that the people who were doing the campaign felt that they were not prepared to face full dialogue on the page, though. Wal-Mart did not put up a discussion board like Target did, and limited all comments and feedback to wall posts. Even when questioned on the absence of a forum, Wal-Mart did not budge.Facebook members are quick to sense such efforts to restrict feedback, and will not take it quietly. The wall posts were soon overtaken by negative comments.Wal-Mart was also perceived as insincere when it veered away from its identity as a company. Known for discounts, it suddenly tried to project itself on Facebook as an authority on fashion, style and taste. This came across as fake and pretentious and Facebook members openly expressed widespread disapproval.Wal-Mart attracted only less than a third of the members that Target gained in Facebook, and many of those who visited the Wal-Mart page left disparaging comments. The entire campaign backfired because Wal-Mart’s Facebook page could very well be used as a testimonial to its competitor.Companies and professional organizations cannot risk making serious errors in their social media marketing campaigns. Perhaps not joining social media networks at all would be better than sabotaging their own names inadvertently through errors. These days, though, social media networks have become so entrenched in popular culture that a company or organization’s absence in them would mean missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with a huge part of their audience. The solution is to seek the help of the right social media marketing experts. Wal-Mart may not have chosen well.A Manila-based company, Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines Inc. offers social media marketing expertise along with low cost advanced web site development packages. These web packages may consist of advanced interactive database driven web site development, advanced portal development, heavy web based programming, web application development, content management systems, good web site design, graphic design and multimedia components including flash animation development, e-commerce site solutions including a shopping cart using osCommerce, web site maintenance and support, search engine optimization and search engine marketing. The company is a web hosting provider, too, with domain name registration services.Web Dot Com’s specialists in social media marketing, search engine marketing and search engine optimization ensure their client’s positive and productive presence online. The company’s web site developers and designers, highly skilled in internet languages and tools such as php, mysql and JavaScript, create landing pages that are compelling and effective, according to the needs of each client. It is not surprising that international clients have been outsourcing web development services to Web Dot Com since 1998. Its business process outsourcing (BPO) services also include contact center solutions.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc. is your One Stop Shop Internet and Contact Center Solutions Vendor for the Global Market.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc.Address: 2nd Floor, BT&T Center#20 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis (C-5),Quezon City, 1110 PhilippinesE-mail: info@webdc.com.phTelephone numbers: (632) 634-4625; (632) 635-6104

The Social Media Marketing Success of Target at Facebook

Facebook is touted as the most successful platform for social media marketing these days, and Target seems to have hit the bull’s eye in using Facebook for its social media marketing campaign. In fact, Target’s participation in Facebook has become some sort of positive case study on how to use social media networks for social media marketing.Target began its involvement in Facebook as part of its back to school campaign. It did not just barge into Facebook though. Target was wise enough to do its homework first by visiting Facebook and other social media networks regularly for some time in order to get a feel of what people were talking about and how they were talking to each other.It is very important to know what is happening in the entire social media network scene. It is even more important to learn the specific culture and language within each social media network. That way, a new participant can enter gracefully, blend into the community and create connections. It eliminates most risks of making a grave mistake or social booboo.Target knew that it could not preach to its audience or use its usual storytelling approach. What it did in its Facebook page was to give its intended audience – mostly students – a platform to interact with each other like in a party. After all, that was what the students were in Facebook for.Target avoided the kind of language used in its usual commercials and instead adapted the language of its audience on Facebook. There was no mention at all of the Target TV tagline “Hello, Good Buy.” Instead, Target’s Facebook copy – or posts, rather – used words like “awesome” very frequently.Hard selling was also avoided at all costs. There were no ads for discounts or promos. There were even no links to Target’s e-commerce site. If banners were placed on other areas of Facebook, these led only to Target’s Facebook page and the ongoing conversations there. On their own, Target’s Facebook friends were already talking about the great deals available in the store, the discounted products and other things they loved about Target. People signed in by the thousands, joined discussion groups, made posts regularly and even uploaded photos.All in all, Target’s presence in Facebook strengthened and deepened its relationship with its customers, further motivating them to continue their loyal support to the store. They were no longer individual customers but a community.Social media marketing professionals know how to maximize the use of social media networks for companies and professional organizations. It is, therefore, best to leave social media marketing efforts to the experts. Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines Inc., based in Manila, offers social media marketing services as part of its low cost advanced web site development packages.Aside from social media marketing, Web Dot Com packages cover advanced interactive database driven web site development, advanced portal development, heavy web based programming, web application development, content management systems, good web site design, graphic design and multimedia components including flash animation development, e-commerce site solutions including a shopping cart using osCommerce, web site maintenance and support, search engine optimization and search engine marketing. The company’s programmers and web site developers are experts at internet languages and tools such as php, mysql and JavaScript. Along with seo specialists, they create clients’ landing pages that have excellent design and high search ranking.Web Dot Com is also a web hosting provider offering domain name registration, as well as a vendor of business process outsourcing (BPO) services. Numerous companies and organization from around the world have been outsourcing web development services to Web Dot Com for the past ten years.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc. is your One Stop Shop Internet and Contact Center Solutions Vendor for the Global Market.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc.Address: 2nd Floor, BT&T Center#20 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis (C-5),Quezon City, 1110 PhilippinesE-mail: info@webdc.com.phTelephone numbers: (632) 634-4625; (632) 635-6104

Learn from the Social Media Marketing Model of Intel

According to a report at ZDNet, Intel has been making some exemplary social media marketing moves that could very well be commended as a model strategy for other companies.We have heard of many companies in the past who have prohibited their employees from blogging. Some have even fired employees for blogging. Because it can easily get out of hand, many companies are afraid of allowing their employees to speak on their behalf in any forum online. Social media networks are here to stay, though, and many employees have become savvy participants, albeit in their individual capacities separate from their professional affiliations.Intel has decided to capitalize on both social media marketing and any of its employees’ interest in social media networks. In order to ensure that it works in favor of the company, though, Intel has put up a Social Media department and is offering to train employees interested in doing social media marketing through blogs, social networks, wikis, virtual worlds and other web forums. This will definitely enable the company to establish stronger and deeper relationships with its customers, beyond what traditional marketing and advertising can do.Employees who wish to participate in the program and do social media marketing in behalf of Intel have to be trained and should abide by its Social Media Guidelines. This includes compliance with the Intel Code of Conduct and the Intel Privacy Policy. According to the company, the guidelines will continue to evolve in step with new technologies and new tools in social networking. Employees are expected to keep themselves updated.Other directives given by Intel to its employees regarding social media marketing include confining themselves to their area of expertise; offering their own views on developments in Intel and the world while observing confidentiality where required; posting only well thought-out and meaningful messages and comments; disagreeing politely; replying appropriately; and completely avoiding offensive remarks.    Employees are further reminded that “perception is reality” in social media marketing. They are encouraged to be transparent yet judicious. They are expected to provide leadership and excitement in the conversations they engage in. It is a serious responsibility, hence, the need for training.A giant company like Intel can very well afford to train its own people in social media marketing, and even put up its own social media marketing department. Not all companies can afford to do so. In fact, like many front office and back office business processes, including web development, social media marketing is better outsourced. Instead of spending a lot of capital in-house, why not delegate the work to the experts?One such expert in social media marketing is Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines Inc. It offers social media marketing, search engine optimization and search engine marketing as part of its low cost advanced web site development packages. These web packages may also involve advanced interactive database driven web site development, advanced portal development, heavy web based programming, web application development, content management systems, good web site design, graphic design and multimedia components including flash animation development, e-commerce site solutions including a shopping cart using osCommerce, web site maintenance and support. Domain name registration is also offered by this web hosting provider.Web Dot Com’s international clientele has been outsourcing web development services and other business process outsourcing (BPO) services to this Manila-based company for ten years now. Its professional web site developers and designers, proficient in the use of php, mysql, JavaScript and other internet languages and tools, create effective and fully optimized landing pages. High search ranking and a positive web presence is then assured by the company’s specialists in search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media marketing.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc. is your One Stop Shop Internet and Contact Center Solutions Vendor for the Global Market.Web Dot Com Website Development Philippines, Inc.Address: 2nd Floor, BT&T Center#20 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis (C-5),Quezon City, 1110 PhilippinesE-mail: info@webdc.com.phTelephone numbers: (632) 634-4625; (632) 635-6104