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In the context of internet marketing, social media refers to a collective group of web properties whose content is primarily published by users creating conversation rather than employees of an organization talking at you. Social media can take a number of different forms including social website posting, review site posting, forum posting and social bookmarking.
Social networking isn't just about advertising on social networking websites, it's about being involved with the conversations about your brand. Online communities and niche forums are popping up all over the web. End users are now able to vote for content with their clicks, bookmarks, tags and ratings. Now is the time to get involved in the conversation. With the rise of web 2.0 and real time search, social media implementation is gaining traction. Video, RSS and other social media is being implemented within web properties and user engagement is on the rise. Social media and real time search enables the opportunity to stay informed of the latest web promotions and special offers has become increasingly easy.
According to a recent marketing forecast by Forrester Research, social media marketing will grow at an annual rate of 34% faster than any other form of online marketing. Companies are using social media tools to monitor conversations about their products, competitors and industry and engaging with their customers while building relationships. Not only do social media initiatives bring in a flood of visitors and interest online in a quick amount of time, social media optimization is becoming an increasingly important factor in search engine ranking.
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