Digital Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 9

Leveraging the Social Web

IN THIS CHAPTER

Generating leads and sales on the social web

Listening for reputation and customer service issues

Getting customers and prospects to know, like, and trust you

Partnering with influential brands and individuals

Social media is an affordable and efficient way to reach prospects, leads, and customers. At its core, social media marketing is no different from other forms of marketing. It’s essentially just another way to interact with customers, prospects, influencers, and partners. And when done right, social media marketing helps you connect with your target audience and move leads and prospects into becoming customers and advocates of your brand.

But many businesses and marketers make a crucial mistake when it comes to social media: They use it only as a means to promote their product or service. They jump straight to making the sale. For social media to be an effective marketing channel for your brand, you need to effectively engage your audience.

So how does social media work with marketing? It generates awareness and gets your ...