The explosion of the social marketing arena has given us all cause to stop and reevaluate our marketing strategies.
The so-called "Web 2.
0" revolution is in the process of redefining our methods as well as our goals.
Social marketing - or social networking - is the business of establishing a relationship, period.
It is very important to understand this, as many people attempt to enter this arena with a poor concept and are often destined to fail.
For those who approach their social marketing projects correctly, there are considerable riches in store.
If you play by the unwritten rules, you will be able to tap into the explosive potential of attraction marketing.
This is every marketer's dream - your clients will come to you, for a change! Attraction marketing is also known as "pull" marketing, where the client has already made up his or her mind and you have achieved your goal by establishing a subconscious call to action.
It is important to understand the social marketing arena before you venture into the fray.
Websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Linked In and Twitter represent potential gold mines of opportunity, but only if you do it the right way.
You need to learn how to attract leads in these environments.
Your goal as a product or service provider should be, first and foremost, to build credibility and, by displaying expertise, to establish yourself as the "go to guy" or expert in your niche.
You will have the ability to connect with a huge number of prospective clients and will be able to establish a system to drive prospects to your articles, blog or website.
By following a carefully crafted plan, your social networking project will enable you to build a potentially loyal following and even to attract joint venture partners.
Slowly, but surely, you establish a position of trust and, subconsciously, your prospect will begin to move towards you, in marketing terms.
Whilst this entire scenario sounds like marketing utopia, it is not easy.
You must establish value, credibility and trust - and this takes time and effort.
However, that pot of gold might just await you at the end! Rule number one: don't sell! This may be an alien concept to those who are trying to work out how to attract leads and who are used to marketing via conventional means.
To achieve your goals through attraction marketing you must adopt a more subtle approach.
Add value to the followers in your growing social network by providing valuable information - free information.
Make sure that you are "talking the same language" as your followers, understand what they are looking for, feel their wants and needs and try to establish yourself as their problem solver.
Adding value, on a consistent basis, should be your primary goal.
As you provide valuable information, tips, tricks, solutions and do so without a sales pitch of any kind, you will over a period of time establish credibility.
Credibility is something that you cannot achieve overnight, but if you approach this plan correctly it will become a valuable byproduct.
By providing value and establishing credibility you will naturally gain the trust of those prospects.
You have turned an observer into a follower and a follower into a fan.
By the subtle and strategic introduction of links to your articles, blog or website you now have the opportunity to turn the fan into a lead and ultimately into a valued client.
Social media sites represent, for the online marketer, an unsurpassed opportunity to harness the awesome power of attraction marketing.