Social Network
Your thinking..."Social Network Marketing," I guess it's the latest
craze, and since I already have a Facebook and Twitter profile, this
type of marketing is going to be a breeze. I mean, after all...I've had
considerable practice socializing with my friends and relatives, so it
would be just as easy to sell things on the social networks...right?
find love
I say, nay, nay! Nothing could be further from the
truth! Having a business profile on Facebook or Twitter, is a whole
different ballgame.
The friends that "follow you" on your
business site, will not be forgiving like your personal friends and
family when you make mistakes, and these are the friends whose opinions
really matter when it concerns your brand.
There are multitudes
of other marketers, just like you, that are still trying to get a grip
on this "social networking" thing, and not all of them have had
overwhelming success at it. But, this sort of works in your favor,
because you can look at the examples and learn a great deal.
I've
come up with some "how to" suggestions on this type of marketing, some
of which you've probably heard already, but it still doesn't hurt to
hear them again.
"Social Network Marketing - 4 Tips on How You Can Do It!":
• You simply can't be in two different networks at the same time.
Although
you're eager to start multi-tasking on Facebook, Twitter and Plurk,
that you open an account in each of these places and start to tweet,
plurk and post your status updates. It happens to most of us "newbies."
However, being blinded by enthusiasm, we fail to see, just like in real
life, that it's just impossible to be focused on all of these sites at
the same time. Therefore, because you can't do this, just...
• Pick only one network and strengthen your fan base on that site.
We
all multi-task at times, but we also know that the quality of our work
is not up to standard. That is what happens when you try to work two
different networks at once. The key is to focus on one and only one.
Learn all the ins and outs, every nook and cranny of that particular
network. Build your fan base there, commit all of your efforts there,
post regular updates or run some type of contest. Then, once you've
established a strong fan base, you can rest easy and let someone else
take over, while you go and build another base in another network.
• Don't be bogus.
Your
fans will know when you're faking it, so just be yourself and let the
"real you" shine through. Socializing is about creating relationships by
getting to know the other person(s) and sharing thoughts, ideas and
stories. You're not going to build a relationship if you're not sincere.
• Participate in conversation.
You
know what, you're not the only person out there networking. Others are
also working to promote their brand and start conversations with other
marketers. Network the way you would offline. Ask lots of questions, and
you'll be able to learn about ways to improve your own brand, by
socializing and engaging others in real conversations.
Social
networking is, in a lot of ways, just like real life socializing. How
you get along with and treat other people will have a huge impact on how
the others perceive you. If you're kind, polite and just a pleasure to
be around, you will be on a long ride down the social network marketing
road, and you'll find that by being someone that can be trusted, you're
not going to be floundering down that road alone!
Social Network