Social networking is the modern method of hooking up with your friends, sharing thoughts and opinions and passing on recommendations. It is the equivalent of the backyard fence where housewives used to meet to discuss the news of the day and share tips about new products they had discovered. Those products reputations grew by word of mouth. Products were trusted because they came recommended by a friend. The power of word of mouth advertising has long been acknowledged in the marketing world, but companies have been slow to recognize the potential of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.



Spend any amount of time on social networking sites and you will discover a world of opinion. This one has become a fan of such and such band. That one has sent a note to his 496 friends to say that the latest super-hero movie is fabulous! In fact, the vast majority of postings are simple statements of viewpoint. 'I just ate at XYZ restaurant - excellent food, but over-priced." "Just came out of MoMA - time well spent!" The friends who read these postings will be more likely to go to the Museum of Modern Art, but less likely to bother with XYZ restaurant.

Like all word of mouth marketing, the simple fact is these are unsolicited opinions, freely given. The power of these personal recommendations should not be under-rated. The very spontaneous of the opinion adds weight - it does not feel like 'somebody is trying to sell something'. How are businesses to take advantage of the social networking phenomenon? How do you ensure that it is your product they are talking about? These sites are rightly vigilant against spamming (unauthorized and unwelcome solicitation) so a careful social marketing strategy is called for.

With proper application of just a few proven methods you can see your web traffic explode through social marketing. Follow the right techniques for establishing profiles and getting your message out there and you will reap the rewards of increased traffic to your website. You will want to be careful to avoid marketing mistakes that will lead to getting banned from the social networking sites, and there is no better guidance than that available at Social Traffic Explosion. You can learn the techniques and methods that will allow you to take advantage of the social networking phenomenon and to become part of the twenty first century version of word of mouth advertising.