Social Traffic and the Web Marketing Ebook - A New Era of Web Marketing

The colossal growth of social networking in these recent years has brought about a new era in web marketing. In a digital age where almost everything is done online, it seems as though the generation gap where internet usage is concerned has been getting smaller over the years. More and more people are spending time online, and with the advent of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, and various Instant Messaging clients, it would seem as though people are living double lives; one offline, and one online. So would it not be prudent for businesses to take advantage of the growth of social media to reach a wider spectrum of audience? If you search hard enough online you will find a web marketing ebook that will tell you how social media has changed the landscape of web marketing, but this article will give you a glimpse of the phenomenon.

Typically large businesses tend to distance themselves from their customers, often interacting with the latter in an impersonal corporate identity. Yet with the revolution of social media, more and more organizations have taken notice to the effectiveness of taking up a more personalized approach and being less "corporate" towards their interactions with their customers.

Having seen the potential in "social marketing", these days many marketers have embarked on a "social marketing optimization" strategy when marketing to potential consumers. From widgets, to RSS feeds, to blogging, the transition between the "corporate" interaction versus the more personalized touch is apparent even in the larger corporations. If you look around hard enough you'll find "corporate blogs" by large internationally recognized brands, viral videos on video portals providing teaser ads for a new product... whatever it is, corporations have been wising up to the prospect, and have hopped onto the social media bandwagon. With more and more corporations using "social marketing optimization", no longer will it be simply a useful element in web marketing, but a distinct marketing strategy on its own.

Providing a more personalized touch for consumers also has its own added advantages. Being "one of them" as opposed to just a faceless corporation would allow companies and marketers alike to get to know consumers a lot better. The ability of consumers to freely review, recommend or even condemn a brand on the web presents an interesting avenue for marketers, because never before has one individual wielded such power over the fate of a consumer product or service. A single email or blog post or video blog can determine a marketer's success or downfall, because nothing is more powerful than word of mouth. The myriad of wish-lists and complaints in the form of blog content could surely serve as a source of ideas and resolution for corporations seeking to build up customer loyalty.

In the near future, broadcasting content via RSS feeds, podcasts, and viral videos will prove to be an invaluable asset to the marketer, because of the huge reach social media has over consumers. Because of this, those who intend to take advantage of all the social traffic out there will have to regularly provide fresher and more unique content to stave off consumer boredom and competition alike.