Social Media Marketing has become synonymous with competent advertising and publicity. When the majority of clients are netizens, it is not advisable to fall back in utilizing social media for the promotion of one’s brand. Social media provides brands with the option to interact with consumers and get them to popularize the brand message. If done correctly, social media can turn brand representatives into brand champion.

With so many programs available, anyone with Internet access can become an author through networks like Facebook, Twitter etc. It’s interesting to view various trends take shape and gain enterprise, where Customers can voice their opinions, experiences and thoughts.

Keeping track on how other companies are utilizing technologies and propelling changes to push their business forward can be rewarding. Now most of the media sites and high-profile e-commerce sites have adopted “social sharing”, therefore providing social networking buttons along with the articles allowing readers to easily share the article with friends. Look down to the bottom of any article and share it with everyone in your network.

What motivates people to share is important as social media can’t be treated as a traditional marketing tool.  To hit the bull’s eye in social media marketing means creating a viral campaign that motivates the users to share in the first place, as simply placing a social sharing link on a web page is not enough. Moreover, a company that knows the pulse of its users can boost its message into the extreme reaches of cyberspace.

The motivators that encourage people to share wisdom fall into four buckets: Voicing your views, Achieving status, Social conscience, Self-serving.

1)  Voicing your views

Normally in marketing, people are motivated by cash, coupons, discounts etc. But in social media marketing, the principal motivator is voicing your views. The promotion that attracts is the one which allows customers to express themselves.

2) Achieving status

Companies indulge in “status building’ exercises whereby loyal customers are granted special benefits. This increase in status among peers acts as an extremely effective motivator for many.

3) Social conscience

Some companies try to make best use of the ‘do-gooder’ in everyone by inviting them to share views not only 4 commercial purposes but also for the benefit of the public.

4) Self- serving

Combination of self-serving offers along with status achievement can yield favorable results.

Online users are quick and smart; they go along with the trends. So once the company knows the taste of its audiences then it’s easy to target them with appropriate messages and promotions via social media marketing. This may seem like a tedious task but in the long run it’s rewarding.