If you are wondering how best to create and maintain a following of loyal customers online while piquing the interest of new users, social media marketing is hard to beat. As the phrase itself implies, social media marketing is essentially the practice of using social media networks to promote your products or services to the people most likely to use them, although it should be noted that there are some specific etiquette rules to abide by in this matter. Failing to adhere to these social media marketing guidelines can potentially see your account banned permanently from popular networks, and can earn you a bad reputation among your target audience online.

For example, you should make sure that your social media marketing efforts are completely germane to your particular industry and business. Make sure that your updates either are designed to alert your followers to new additions, changes, et cetera to your website or offerings, or are links to articles that provide information about new industry developments. If you opt for the latter type of posting, add your two cents as you link to the article in question, and then ask your customers for their input. This type of interactive experience is what makes social media marketing so successful when done correctly.

By contrast, spamming your followers with the same type of message over and over again over a short period of time is a poor way to go about social media marketing. This will irritate people very quickly, even those who might otherwise be very interested in your site, and can come off as desperate or shady. Posting the same type of update once or twice a week at the most should be your rule of thumb in order to avoid this type of situation from rearing its head. Make sure that your social media marketing efforts also include addressing questions or concerns from your followers in an individualized and thorough manner for best results, and your social media marketing efforts should prove to be successful over time!