While the internet changed the way consumers shop for products, social media is also having a profound effect on the way consumers research and plan purchases.

Wesbites like InsiderPages.com, Epinions.com and Yelp.com give people access to consumer reviews, which empowers them with information they need before they decide to go to a restaurant, for instance.

But, with social media…people can have actual discussions online before they purchase.

Case in point…below is a brief conversation on Facebook where someone is interested in potentially switching from cable to DirecTV. This is an actual thread pulled straight from Facebook. The names have been changed to protect the innocent…

JOE: TWC wants mo’ money but since the converter box came in the door our cable has been icky. May look into #DirectTV.

Diane
I’m feeling the same way

Sam 
Don’t do Dish Network. We did that and it never worked in the rain.

Mary
I love DirecTV … we got it this summer after TWC made me mad one too many times. Before you sign up, let me or someone else with DirecTV know — they have a promotion right now where both people get $10 off a month for 10 months if you give them my (or someone else’s) account number when signing up. The DVR functionality alone was worth it — and we pay a lot less each month and will even after it goes up after the first year.

Jane
We are considering moving away from TWC. This input from others is helpful.

Sam
How does DirecTV work during wind, rain and storms? Does it stay on? I know folks who have had issues with it.

Danny
Heavy rain and forget it, no tv. Still, I really like the info button – esp for movies – tells the actors, director, yr made, and synopsis.

Danny
Joe, I can give you a $100 coupon, if you want to go w/ Directv

Chris
DirecTV is good — we’ve had it for a few months now. It’s only had brief blips of non-service in bad rain/storms. (knock wood!) Plus I really like their customer service.

Matt
We switched last month and love it so far. No major problems so far even in the rain. Wife doesn’t love the dish in the back yard, but it’s not that bad.

Mary
Even with a really heavy storm a couple months ago, we had no blips or loss of TV, which used to happen at the drop of a hat with TWC!

Sam
wow…i’m sold…..joe – directv owes you!

So, here’s the takeaway…

If you’re a business owner and you haven’t gotten started with social media marketing, then it’s time to take the plunge. Scared of opening yourself up online? Scared some people may talk about you? Well, guess what…they’re talking about you anyway…whether it’s on Facebook or in the grocery store.

Why not take the new media seriously and learn how to monitor your reputation and use these tools to your advantage? Not to mention it will change your entire perception of how you should be marketing your business.

To learn more, CONTACT US.

Visit: DicksonInteractive.com

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Here are a few quick tips that will help you create those links and improve your search engine rankings.

1 – Write and submit articles. You know your business better than anybody else. Take some time and write a few articles that pertain to a certain aspect of your business. Then, create accounts on EZineArticles.com and GoArticles.com and submit your articles to their aggregators.

2 – Start your own blog and link out to other blogs. Linking out as much as possible increases the likelihood that you’ll get a link back. When you start your blog make sure you list yours with the most relevant blog directories.

3 – Post comments on other blogs. If your comments are inciteful and thought provoking there is a much better chance that other readers will click on your profile, which leads them back to your site or blog. Don’t spam. That’s lame.

4 – Write and submit press releases. Make sure they are well-written and interesting. Submit them at PRWeb.com. It’s not free, but the investment is well worth it. Not willing to shell out the cash yet? Try Free-Press-Release.com.

5 – Social Bookmarking. Take the interesting content from your main website, articles, blog posts, etc. and post them on social bookmarking sites like Delicious, Digg, Reddit and Stumbleupon. This will create a churn of traffic back to your site.

Monitor your analytics closely to measure what’s working. There are hundreds of ways to create inbound links to your website. These are just 5 simple ways to get the ball rolling as you work towards taking it to the next level.

To learn how we can help, CONTACT US!

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