Here’s my question to you. Are social media preferences forcing a significant change in internet marketing practices? In this post, I will give you my answer to that question.
Website Landing Pages and Squeeze Pages
Anyone who has created a website or a blog is familiar with landing pages that grab the visitor’s attention or a squeeze page that captures opt in information. Both of these elements have been important ingredients in internet marketing. Experts have identified landing page and squeeze page techniques people have been using for years.
Social Media Preferences
Contrast what we have been doing with website marketing with the new preferences emerging on social media sites. People don’t want a hard sell. They prefer a soft, more causal, more interactive approach. Listening is a key element with these new preferences.
Social media sites give the opportunity to link back to your business URL.  Most small businesses are linking people to their traditional landing page or squeeze page. Participants in social media sites are not impressed with blatant sales pitches.  They are becoming less enamored with landing pages or squeeze pages that offer a hard sell.
What If You Reversed the Process
The idea behind the web marketing strategy was to get potential customer information and then by using a series of auto responders bring them to the point of making a purchase.
What if we reversed the model? Get to know each other before we start any sales pitches. Use the social media preferences to learn more about each other so we can like and trust each others. Only after building trust by frequent interactions would you feel free to get people’s information and make them an offer.
Social Media Landing Page
I call this new process a Social Media Landing Page. Create a social media landing page and use that URL on your social media profiles.
This social media landing page does not try to sell. It uses the space to let people get to know who you are, what you do and how you might benefit each other. It’s a place to share. It’s a place to ask questions and start a dialogue. It’s a place where you can share information about ways to participate together on other social media sites.
I have made an attempt at a social media landing page. You can see it here. http://successfulinternettools.com/.  It’s a first attempt. I am trying to bridge the gap between the older style website marketing and the newer preferences for social media marketing.
I am sure others have additional ideas to improve on this first attempt. Your comments are more than welcomed. Check out my social media landing page and make your comments at the bottom of the page.  http://successfulinternettools.com/
Conclusion
Years ago, a wise old sales person taught me the secret of selling: give people what they want, when they want it and how they want it.  People on social media sites want things in a different way. How can we give it to them?
To be continued, your comments are welcomed…
Al Hanzal
