If there is such a thing as Social Networking, then there also is what many refer to as Social Marketing. What exactly does this mean? Simple: it is the combination of the elements of both Social Networking and Marketing. Like the Internet revolutionised the marketing industry, Social Marketing just takes it to a whole new level.

Who would have ever thought that Social Networking sites would be beneficial this way? The main purpose of sites like Facebook and Twitter were supposed to be like meeting friends, dating, and reconnecting with past acquaintances. Other than that, there practically was nothing else. But now? Hundreds of individuals are already using these sites with the hopes of making a sale. A few years ago, this would have been considered very unthinkable.

Social Marketing has since evolved into one of the most frequently used forms of Internet Marketing. This is because many businessmen happen to be fond of spending time online. So instead of wasting time doing nothing while using the Internet, they instead take advantage of the sites’ features to promote their products and websites for many other people to see.

Case in point number 1: Facebook is probably the most used social networking site by individuals who sell stuff. Due to its wide array of marketer-friendly features, this site can make anyone “a good entrepreneur”. The “what’s on your mind” feature allows users to share a link or URL of their personal website or a site that they are blogging about. They can even place shout-outs or comments to help tell people what the site is all about. But probably the most-used feature by Internet marketers is the ability to upload pictures and tag any of their friends to it. They may normally post pictures that show their products and and tag all potential buyers to the said picture. And since users are also allowed to put captions on the pictures, they usually put the prices, contact details, and the procedure of ordering their product. Using this method, many of the first ones who used it became really successful. As a result, more and more Internet marketers are now following it with the hopes of attaining the same success.

Case in point number 2: Twitter, though less used by the majority, also has features that are marketer-friendly. They can tweet a link to a picture containing their product, much like the “what’s on your mind” feature of Facebook. The only problem though is that they have to have several followers to make their product more visible. And that’s how optimising their profile comes into play.