By Kevin Gault
You wouldn’t embark on a jungle safari without an experienced guide to show you the way. It’s the same in the social media jungle.
If you want to use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to boost your bottom line, you’ll need some how-to directions. A brand new guide has just emerged, SocialMediaExaminer.com—a free online magazine.
Premiered on October 12, 2009, Social Media Examiner is a colorful, free weekly online magazine that features articles, interviews and tips from the world’s leading social media gurus. The publication gives business owners and marketers every
tool they’ll need to leverage social media techniques for success.
“We pulled out all the stops for this new online magazine,” said Michael Stelzner, the site’s founder and organizer of the smash-hit Social Media Success Summit event.
Stats Show Businesses Don’t Know How to Use Social Media
Facebook boasts 300 million active users worldwide. Fifty million people use Twitter. Forty-three million rely on LinkedIn. Social media sites are worldwide hangouts for everyone from Fortune 100 CEOs to clever young entrepreneurs.
“Social media marketing is fast becoming THE standard for building visibility, awareness and credibility for businesses of all sizes,” says blogging expert Denise Wakeman of The Blog Squad. “It gives businesses an unprecedented opportunity to more fully engage with and listen to consumers, which can lead to better brand awareness, brand loyalty and product development.”
The Social Media Marketing Industry Report, published earlier this year, found that 81% of all marketers who use social media said it generates more exposure for their business; 62% said it helped close more business deals; and 85% of small-business owners said they reaped benefits from social media techniques.
But a July 2009 study by eMarketer revealed that although 81% of executives feel social media marketing enhances brands and business relationships, 51% of them aren’t using it for one simple reason: They don’t know how.
A Jungle of Information
Mari Smith, one of the world’s leading authorities on using Facebook for business, says that when it comes to step-by-step instruction on how to use social media, it’s a jungle out there. “There’s so much conflicting and confusing information about social media available online and offline. Businesses need a reliable source of social media news, resources and sage advice that they can implement with confidence.”
Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner, says the free online publication satisfies that need perfectly: “Many businesses don’t have a clue about where to start or what to do. Social Media Examiner is a free, no-strings-attached site that tells people exactly how it’s done. The online magazine gives readers easy-to-understand, useful techniques that they can implement immediately.”
The colorful, interactive SocialMediaExaminer.com provides how-to articles, case studies that give specific examples of how top business leaders use social media, video interviews with experts and summaries of the latest research. The magazine will run new, updated content every week and readers can post comments and join online discussions.
Stelzner has a track record for delivering rich content in his publications and seminars. He doesn’t disappoint with Social Media Examiner. Some of the biggest names in social media will weigh in, such as Mari Smith, Denise Wakeman, blogging expert and co-author of ProBlogger Chris Garrett and Jason Falls, who has crafted social media campaigns for top corporations.
See How It’s Done
“SocialMediaExaminer.com can help businesses because it gives readers expert advice from people who are actively using social media tactics,” says Falls. “Readers see what award-winning thinkers not only say, but what they actually do to drive customer engagement and business success online.”
Stelzner has worked tirelessly for many months to make this groundbreaking publication happen. He started with two goals for Social Media Examiner: First, make it a first-class, user-friendly publication, and second, make it one of the top 500 sites in the world.
Getting to Social Media Examiner is easy—just visit SocialMediaExaminer.com to dig into the great content and sign up for your no-cost subscription.
“Business has always been about being where your customers are, and today, that’s online,” says case study expert Casey Hibbard. “First impressions are made, deals are closed and relationships are deepened online. If you’re not there, you can bet that your competitors are.”
November 13th, 2009 at 5:10 am
We’re seeing a lot of this in my industry; businesses know they need to be using social websites, they just don’t know how or why. It’s great to see a quality resource like Social Media Examiner come out (even if I am late to the party).