Some may enjoy more success than others, some might enjoy a little, and some might not at all.

Like many other tools available for the Internet marketer, its more important in HOW you use it than WHAT u use.

Sure, everyone knows social media is a powerful tool (including your next-door teenage neighbor) but if you don’t use it wisely then you might as well don’t bother wasting time with it from the start.

So outlined here are some steps which can help you and your business to move forward (or started) with the use of social media.

First off, you have to identify your goal in joining the social media scene.

Is this a means for you to reach out to a wider audience?

Is it to build your reputation or branding?

You wanna look good in the search engine’s eyes?

Is it a place where you can interact with your customer base any time of the day?

Or is it a more direct and efficient approach to selling a particular product or service to a more targeted audience?

Next off, you have to understand to be in good something you actually need to invest the time. Social media is no exception. If you wanna stand out or excel in the niche or field that you have chosen to dab in, you have to be good in what you do or say.

Planning and research is always a necessity and it gives you a sense of direction (so you don’t wander around aimlessly). Time wasted was always time better invested.

You also have to know the one thing where social media sites differs from normal web sites. You may have an excuse when you have an inactive and infrequently updated website. But you are defeating the whole purpose if you treat your social media account just like another regular web blog.

Not only do you need time to develop AROUND your social media account, you need time to be involved IN it.

You MUST be active, interactive and better yet hyperactive. You can’t build it up just to leave it alone and hope it’ll “GROW”. It’s called social media for a reason. You HAVE to be social. So get out there and socialize. Build your presence in the online community that you have registered in, be diligent.

Also, people hate it when you tend to be pushy. So instead of trying to sell them something every minute, offer them something of value. Maybe a valuable content, have a great discussion, be helpful and answer questions.

In the social media scene, it’s not just about providing content. It’s providing content that is both USEFUL and VALUEBLE to your target audience.

Speaking of target audience, try to identify what they like and what they are passionate about. If you can bring up a topic of discussion on what your target audience are passionate about, chances are it’ll go viral and will get everyone talking about it which will tremendously be beneficial for your business.

Plus, don’t sound like a total robot when you’re engaging in the social media scene. Studies have shown that people tend to react and respond (in a better way) to individuals either representing themselves/organization/company/brand when they have personality.

In other words…natural.

A little humor and genuine show of interest can go a long way here.

Social media may or may not stand the test of time. But one thing is for certain is that Internet Marketing and social media is on the rise and for now it’s definitely here to stay for some time to come.

The worldwide market is undoubtedly getting more and more crowded. Even the virtual world, where we have come to known as the Internet does not escape this reality. So what is one to do in order not to be left out, drowned out or even overwhelmed by this surge? It’s simple really, you basically have to be the loudest person in the crowd in order to stick out like a sore thumb.

The saturated market is commonly viewed as a disadvantage. But try to look at it at a different perspective and you can see there actually is a good in all of it. The good that can ESPECIALLY work in YOUR favour.

Bear with me, and I’ll get to the point.

It’s time to BE unique and GET noticed.

You see, with more products and services being offered virtually every corner of the internet, everyone is trying to outsell,outpace,outgrow the guy next to him (a.k.a the competition). In order to be more efficient to do those stuff, individuals or companies adopt hard sell marketing techniques and strategies in order to be more efficient. The customers who are hit hardest by this form of sell tactics will eventually become immune to all of this and the tactics lose momentum and thus the effect.

Ironically

What works well in all of this, is the humble sales letter. Humble yet powerful, a sales letter can be very personal therefore giving a sense of importance and priority to the customer, therefore  showing that there is someone out there who actually cares for the customers wants and needs. Nothing makes a customer feel special like a personalized sales letter.

But before you fire up your spreadsheet and start typing away blindly at the keyboard hoping to produce the next killer sales letter, keep in mind that composing a sales letter is no easy task. Especially when it comes to writing a good one. Come up with a bad sales letter and it gives out all the wrong impression of you and your reputation as a professional will suffer and that’s the last thing you’ll ever want happening to your online business.

Some guidelines

What I’m going to offer you is no magic formula when it comes to sales letter creation, but it is certainly wise to adhere to the basics of making a good sales letter which is listed out below.

Read ME! – For a sales letter to be read, it has to be opened first. Be it e-mail or snail mail, by creating an enticing headline that basically screams “OPEN ME!” and getting the customer to do so, you are already half way there. Titles such as “Great DISCOUNTS on your next purchase” or “HOW to save up to hundreds like I did!” are always winners. Keep the jokes and the play of words to a minimum. You don’t want the customer to have the wrong impression of you. As the saying goes “First impressions are always the most important”

Personal – Addressing the sales letter recipient is always an excellent idea. And there’s nothing better than addressing the customer by name. By using “Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs” or “To : Recipient” customers won’t care much about what you have to say anymore because you’re showing that YOU don’t care either.

Say What? – Testimonials are a very good way to help your customers establish your credibility as an individual or a company. Quoting happy customers, (especially more well-known ones) can certainly help your reputation. But like everything else, do it in moderation as having too many quotes in a sales letter will look spammy and you may very well be labeled a liar. Have your contact details such as e-mail or phone number readily available in the sales letter in case the customer has any inquiries and such. You’ll earn more of their trust that way too. (but don’t forget to reply to them though!)

So Pretty – Most human beings are very visual. So it’s not all what you write down in the sales letter, for the most part, HOW you write it may be equally important. Proper use of fonts styles, font sizes, pictures placement, colours and everything that has got to with design should also be a priority. And try not to use too much abbreviations or jargons most people won’t understand. Getting someone to read your sales letter is one thing, getting someone to make sense of reading a confusing sales letter, and that’s pushing your luck.

Bang for your Buck – Bonuses and incentives are a major customer magnet. List down exactly on what you are offering, may it be a complimentary item or a discount, these things are a definite crowd-pleaser and often a deal sealer. (Who doesn’t like free stuff right?)

Sales Letters Creator

A killing sales letter might be hard to conjure, and it certainly does take time. If you’re interested about writing sales letters then do give Steven Johnson’s easy-to-use Sales Letters Creator program a go. It can help you create professionally looking sales letters without the need of an expensive freelance writer.

In preparation of Mafioso Marketing 2, allow me to share with you about Rhys Davies’ previous version of Mafioso Marketing. Rhys is a man who believes in M.I.F. It’s an acronym he came out with, which stands for “Monthly“, “Instant“, “Future“. It is an odd one I might say, but it’s what Rhys truly believes in and he stands by it firmly. It is the heart of Mafioso Marketing after all. What MIF actually stands for is Monthly, Instant and Future. These 3 elements are the core of Mafioso Marketing and can be applied to any aspect in it. Even every single subniche can have its own MIF element.

The M.I.F Element

Take for example the “Monthly” element, what Rhys would so it create a low cost membership site which is recurring, hence “Monthly”. As for “Instant”, he would create a report and sell it with reprint rights for driving free traffic and generating immediate income, hence “Instant”. Last but certainly not least is the “Future” element. Rhys would create a whole network of content sites to drive even more traffic to his product or membership web sites. So basically Rhys is trying to tell you here is, to create products which can give you income monthly, instantly and in the long run (“Future”).

Serious Business

He believe internet marketing should be treated seriously and not as a hobby or as a joke. In his words “Take this seriously and you will go far. Treat your IM business like a joke and you will get joke results.” With thousands of Mafioso Marketing 1 copies sold and $100,000 ++ worth of profits from it, you know Rhys Davies means serious business. Imagine what Mafioso Marketing 2 holds in store for all of us.

It’s time to join the family of organized internet marketing…