You’ve signed up for LinkedIn, created a profile on Facebook, and joined Twitter. Now what?
Social networking is touted as the next big thing to help you grow your business. The act of networking and word-of-mouth marketing is not new. What’s new is the venue – the online social network. A social network is an online community where people meet others with common interests. Ideally, their common interest is your brand or your industry, so you want to be in front of them online.
To use a social network to your advantage you must do the following:
- Find the network(s) where your audiences are spending their time.
- Create a profile
- Participate – get engaged with other users by writing comments, sending messages, posting blogs, etc.
- Incorporate social networks into your existing marketing activities
The good news/bad news about finding the right networks is that there are a lot to choose from. Social networking is much more than Facebook and Twitter. Here are a few categories to consider:
- Traditional Social Networks: Facebook, MySpace
- Social Media Submission Sites — Digg
- Social Bookmarking – StumbleUpon, Delicious
- Microblogging – Twitter
- Photo and Video Sharing – Flickr, YouTube
- Review and rating sites – Amazon, Epionions, TripAdvisor, Yelp
- Blogs
Every business that has customers online should consider a social network campaign to grow your business. The cost to entry is nominal, but it requires time and strategy. Don’t just jump in because you think everyone else is out there.
To learn how to use social networks to grow your business, join us on Thursday, July 23 for a free, one-hour webinar entitled Social Networking 101. Click here to register.
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Tags: Internet Marketing Wilmington NC, Marketing, Social media, Social Networks
