Driving traffic from sources other than search engines: Social marketing presents a low-cost opportunity to increase traffic from additional sources.
Targeting specific groups: The establishment of sites and communities targeted to specific groups can allow you to pick the areas of social marketing best suited to your website and goals.
Utilizing Word of Mouth Advertising: Social marketing allows users who find your information in social websites to easily share it with others. This ‘viral’ spread of information among friends and acquaintances creates conversations about your brand and has the strength of personal recommendation.
Increasing Relevant Links: Links generated and acquired through posting, bookmarking, and sharing are organic and looked upon favorably by the search engines. Social media sites are considered reputable sources of links and information and often feature prominently in search engine results.
Sharing Information: Sharing information generated by an end user is what makes social marketing effective. Information that is often shared can be: press releases, articles, blog posts, photos and videos.
Creating a community: Social media encourages the development of online communities of user generated content, oftentimes around specific topics or interests. From posting in forums to sharing pictures, being part of a community allows your voice to be heard and gives you the chance to separate yourself from your competitors.