3 Tips For Social Networking For Business
Social networking for business is a powerful medium that helps you get exposure for your business in a completely unique way. The beauty of social media is that it naturally brings people of like minds together into affinity groups. As a women entrepreneur you can use social media to network with other business people and engage in a meaningful dialogue with your prospective customers and clients.
Social media is exploding in popularity. Chances are your competitors and your customers are already engaged in social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed and Youtube.com. There are actually hundreds of social media sites, but it makes sense to choose the most popular ones as the focus your marketing attention.
Let's dive right in with three tips:
1. Use a picture of yourself not your product on your profile
With sites like Facebook and Twitter there is an image that accompanies all of your interactions allowing people to associate you with the useful or entertaining information you share. This allows you to effectively brand yourself as a trusted expert and leader in your industry.
Your followers will not bond with a picture of your product or an avatar representing your services.
2. Share don't sell
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer you, as a business person, the opportunity to create meaningful relationships with your customers and prospects. It also gives you the chance of becoming known as a reliable resource. By being active, answering questions and adding value to your followers' lives they get the chance to know you better as they grow to like and trust you.
When you try to sell from the start you may put the people off, exactly the opposite of the reaction you are trying to generate.
3. Invite your friends to visit your website and sign up for your opt-in list
A friends list of 4,000 people on Facebook or Twitter does not belong to you. You can work for months to build up a nice following of thousands on Facebook, and with just one inadvertent slip-up your profile could be shut down and you will no longer have access to those people.
• Use the Networked blogs app on Facebook to invite your friends to follow your blog.
• Create an incentive gift that has value for your audience and offer it to them in exchange for their subscribing to your opt-in email list
• Create a Fan Page on Facebook and use the app to add an opt-in box to your fan page
• Create a group on Facebook so that you can send members messages, and group members can communicate with each other.
• On Twitter link your profile to a landing page offering a free gift in exchange for their subscription
Once you have begun to shift your social media contacts to your website and your email list, take the time to nurture your relationship to them. It's not 'open season' to start selling to them. Continue the relationship, offer them valuable information, don't waste their time and be mindful that they are always one click away from unsubscribing.
Follow these tips to make the most of the time that you invest in social media so that you can gain a worthwhile Return on Investment. Social networking for business is a great way to form meaningful relationships, gain exposure for yourself and for your business.
Social media is exploding in popularity. Chances are your competitors and your customers are already engaged in social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed and Youtube.com. There are actually hundreds of social media sites, but it makes sense to choose the most popular ones as the focus your marketing attention.
Let's dive right in with three tips:
1. Use a picture of yourself not your product on your profile
With sites like Facebook and Twitter there is an image that accompanies all of your interactions allowing people to associate you with the useful or entertaining information you share. This allows you to effectively brand yourself as a trusted expert and leader in your industry.
Your followers will not bond with a picture of your product or an avatar representing your services.
2. Share don't sell
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer you, as a business person, the opportunity to create meaningful relationships with your customers and prospects. It also gives you the chance of becoming known as a reliable resource. By being active, answering questions and adding value to your followers' lives they get the chance to know you better as they grow to like and trust you.
When you try to sell from the start you may put the people off, exactly the opposite of the reaction you are trying to generate.
3. Invite your friends to visit your website and sign up for your opt-in list
A friends list of 4,000 people on Facebook or Twitter does not belong to you. You can work for months to build up a nice following of thousands on Facebook, and with just one inadvertent slip-up your profile could be shut down and you will no longer have access to those people.
• Use the Networked blogs app on Facebook to invite your friends to follow your blog.
• Create an incentive gift that has value for your audience and offer it to them in exchange for their subscribing to your opt-in email list
• Create a Fan Page on Facebook and use the app to add an opt-in box to your fan page
• Create a group on Facebook so that you can send members messages, and group members can communicate with each other.
• On Twitter link your profile to a landing page offering a free gift in exchange for their subscription
Once you have begun to shift your social media contacts to your website and your email list, take the time to nurture your relationship to them. It's not 'open season' to start selling to them. Continue the relationship, offer them valuable information, don't waste their time and be mindful that they are always one click away from unsubscribing.
Follow these tips to make the most of the time that you invest in social media so that you can gain a worthwhile Return on Investment. Social networking for business is a great way to form meaningful relationships, gain exposure for yourself and for your business.
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