With new social media sites popping up at every turn, how can companies choose the most effective ways to leverage social media and the right applications for their particular company? Keeping abreast of social media and it’s perpetually changing rules and applications has opened a new field for social media, IT and journalism savvy designers who are capitalizing on this growing niche.
Launched in September 2007 and designed to create an intersection of social media, brand media and marketing, Buddy Media works with large brands and media companies to leverage strategy, development, promotion, engagement and monetization. Target Marketing recently caught up with Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, who provided two tips for how companies can use social media to create organic advertising networks.
1. Use social media to build your brand
According to Lazerow, the social media application is a new media property and ad unit all in one. He says, “Experiencing the Web with friends is more fun. Why play a game against the computer when you can play against a friend? Why download a picture just to your desktop when you can put them on the social nets for just your friends to see?” He suggests that companies leverage the viral growth of social networks to build their business through it’s unique branding opportunities via social network’s viral reach.
2. Focus on what you do well.
For marketers working on developing new e-businesses, Lazerow says, launching as soon and as inexpensively as possible is often better then going into debt to launch a more elaborate initial Web site. He says, “Listen to your customers and reiterate. The Web is never “done.” You can always change, get better and get bigger. Look at it as a journey that has no real end (unlike magazines and other media where the magazine gets printed, the TV show airs or the newspaper is printed). Web sites evolve and are always in motion (at least good ones are).”
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