The problem
Search engine optimisation can only get you so far. Once you’ve hit the top of your rankings, where do you go if you still haven’t covered the whole market?
For smaller businesses SEO isn’t even an option: it’s time-consuming, slow and difficult if you haven’t got a niche product or service.
Although an SEO-specialist probably won’t tell you this, there are some products and services that just can’t be marketed effectively using search engines because they solve a problem people didn’t even know they had. So how do you reach your potential new customers?
The solution
If you read blogs, use Facebook or watch YouTube videos you’re engaging in what’s rapidly become known as the “social Internet”, that is a place that isn’t overtly commercial in nature and is built around communities who share information, ideas and resources.
You can plug into this community in a way that’s effective without destroying it or being labeled as a spammer. By treating networks with respect or sticking to social advertising you can have a deeper impact with your target audience.
How do you do it?
You can setup a blog for free through wordpress.com and be ready in minutes, create a Facebook Page for your business and let people become “fans” or share some of your favourite links via del.icio.us. All of these help to push your profile into a new social space, giving your prospective customers a new way to discuss and interact with your products or services.
