Social Networking for Beginners

By admin

Everyone is on the internet, or so you’ve been told. There seems to be a news article every day about Facebook or MySpace, although you really don’t know what they are or what they do. As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard about LinkedIn as the place to…to…

To what?

What’s This All About?

Business owners who aren’t “computer savvy,” or who are not that familiar (or comfortable) with the internet may never get beyond this question. Perhaps you’re wondering what the hype is all about. You’ve heard that MySpace is full of computer predators, just waiting for an innocent child to log on. How would that help your business? Or, you may have decided to give social networking a try. You’ve created an account (and probably forgotten the password by now), filled in a few lines on your profile and then sat back and done nothing. And nothing is exactly what you’ve gotten back.

Effective and Affordable Marketing

An online social network can be an affordable and effective part of your marketing plan. If used appropriately, it can increase visibility, establish competency in your chosen field and help drive traffic to your store or website. Even better, search services like Google and Yahoo! love the kind of content generated by a social network. Every time you add a one-line “here’s what I’m doing” post, upload a picture or update a blog you’re generating new material for these services to go out and find. In fact, that’s their job!

Social networks are a relatively new phenomenon. To some extent, the rules are still being written as these networks evolve and grow. There are some best practices, however, that online entrepreneurs can and should adopt.  Use these techniques to make your time online more effective and profitable.

Do Nothing And Get Nothing

A social network is exactly what its name implies: a social network. It’s an interactive, user-driven environment. It’s not free advertising. In fact, its members often resent people who use it that way. A social network can help you reach out to other people, but only if you’re willing to do the work that’s required. Do nothing and you’ll get nothing. Get to know the community and they’ll get to know you. Be patient but persistent and you may end up with a sizable following. It really depends on you and your business. Like all marketing efforts, it requires planning and not a little hard work.

Go Slowly at First

Start with just a few of the better known sites. Have a look around before you sign up. There’s usually a “tour” feature, or a place you can get more information. It’s not going to give you a full featured look at the site, but it will give you a sense of its purpose and organization. Does this site sound like a place you’d like to visit? If so, sign up. Here are some links to more information for a few prominent sites:

LinkedIn: http://learn.linkedin.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=userTour.home
Gather: http://www.gather.com/about.jsp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/help/new_user_guide.php
Twitter: http://twitter.zendesk.com/forums/10711/entries

This small sample will give you an idea of social networking’s diversity. Use Google or Yahoo! to search for other networks. Ask your friends, co-workers and colleagues. Public libraries are also good places to get information. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You can always change your mind and go somewhere else if your initial choice isn’t as effective as you thought it would be.

Network Appropriately. Don’t “Hard Sell”

Fill out your profile completely. Include a picture that’s professional, but comfortable. This is an important step. If you’re going to network for your business online, people need to know what you look like. Your picture makes you a real person and puts a face to an otherwise anonymous profile. Think of online social networking as a proxy for in-person networking and act accordingly.

Get to know other members. Your network will probably have groups, along with individual blogs, pictures, videos, music and more (these features may not apply to all sites). Go out there and work the virtual crowd. Wander around a bit. Read some posts, join some groups that interest you. Leave responses to blogs, etc. where appropriate. There’s usually some kind of comment or “wall” section. Use it to subtly introduce yourself and acknowledge the other person’s output.

Don’t Spam Your Network!

The last thing anyone wants to see is an ad barely disguised as a post. If you have a “SURE FIRE WAY TO BOOST YOUR INCOME WHILE WORKING FROM HOME. EARN $1,000.00 A DAY! GO TO WWW…” then buy an ad and put your message there. Don’t bother the people who are trying to get work done in your social network’s “small business” group. That tactic will probably kill the group and may get you banned from the network.

Add Content Regularly

Participate! Add blog postings, pictures, videos, music, whatever is appropriate to your niche and readership. Combine business as well as personal posts. Experiment to find the right balance. Of course you want to get your message out. At the same time, you don’t people to think you’re only there to hawk a product or service. Remember those two words: social network. The first word is “social.” Be just that. In this context “social” doesn’t necessarily mean mere “socializing” (although you could, depending on the site and the circumstances). It does, most certainly, mean networking. Find a way of doing both, in a personable and accessible way.

As soon as you’re comfortable, consider joining more than one network. I have a personal blog hosted on Vox, for example. I regularly cross-post that blog to another site, Live Journal. Why? I have a different set of readers on both blogs. This is just as true in a business environment. Different people will be on different sites. Maximize your outreach, but be careful not to spread yourself too thin.

Be Patient, but Persistent

Don’t expect results overnight. As in the real world, it takes time to develop relationships and increase the size of your network. Keep at it, but be patient.

Do some research to find appropriate sites, describe yourself and your business to the community, visit other peoples’ pages, participate in groups, post regularly and consider having a presence on more than one network. That’s a lot of work right there. Add it to your marketing and business development budget, even if your time and effort will be your main expenditure at first. It can be an enjoyable task, though. Take it one step at a time – and don’t forget to have some fun along the way!