In case you missed last week’s Nor’easter, there is a new storm brewing off the coast of the Virginia Beach oceanfront and it’s due to arrive this January!  Social Media at the Beach is coming and this social media event is designed to blow away the myth that social media is only for tech savvy ‘experts’ and people who spend all their time in front of a computer!

Social media is for busy people who want to stay in touch with their friends and other interesting people they like to network with and this new school relationship tool that uses old school principles has a tremendous potential to generate business!

So if you want to learn how to blog, use social networks like Facebook, and maximize you’re company’s SEO power on the web, register today and I’ll see you at Peabody’s on January 23rd!

Business owners like the idea of fast, easy, and inexpensive (a.ka. cheap) advertising.  They also know however that traditional methods of advertising like mailers, newspaper ads, and billboards to name a few are becoming less effective and remain costly.  So in search of a new way to both advertise and get their business out there, many businesses discover a  fast, easy and cheap method of advertising online by  implementing a pay-per-click marketing strategy.

Before we talk about pros and cons, lets first consider why old school advertising doesn’t work anymore.  There is an old cliche that says people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  What that’s saying is that people are looking to connect with you and with your business on a deeper level, and throwing a mailer at them or blasting a big ad in the paper or via even email simply doesn’t get that done.  Your business doesn’t appear to care so neither do they. Trash can!

We understand that business owners would prefer not to worry about marketing and Pay-Per-Click is the perfect fire and forget strategy.  The problem is you are paying for a click, not a customer.  How often have you clicked on a site, not found what you wanted immediately and clicked the back button? Do you even click in the sponsored links at the top of Google?  The reality is Pay-per-click is an online billboard.

The Social Media Alternative

Social Media is all about relationships.  Through a little consistency and very little money if any, you build meaningful relationships with your clients.  People know you care because they talk to you interact with them and or others regularly.  Bringing relevant info into their lives, not a sales pitch.

When someone comes to your site, its like a warm call or a referral.  The person knows you and is interested in what you do.  They aren’t looking for something specific, they are probing into your business and if you have something relevant to offer and they have a need its likely they will do business with you.

So when it comes down to it, the product or service you provide effects your the strategy you decide to implement.  If you rely on return clients and customers, relationships are key.  Are you using Pay-Per-Click?  If so, how is it working for your business.  Have you considered social media?

What are your thoughts?

Your Thoughts?