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Build Your Social Network for BusinessTip! And sadly, many workers become lax at maintaining their professional network when they've worked with a company a while. With mass layoff announcements screaming at us every day in the news, having a dead or outdated business network can extend the time it takes to find a new position. In a word, social networking is a means of developing relationships with potential business partners and customers. It can take place in a number of ways and is still in the infancy stage of its life span. PC Magazine defines social networking as "A web site that provides a virtual community for people interested in a subject. It provides a way for members to communicate by voice, chat, instant message, videoconference and blogs." The key to social networking is in the building relationships with people with similar interests. All kinds of examples abound and the Internet is rife with sites that target a specific community of interests or allow people to build their own.
Myspace.com is by no means the first social networking site. It has been preceded by many dating sites, business sites, and other interest-targeted web sites. It is, however, one of the most popular web sites on the Internet, enjoying a higher ranking even that Google. Ryze is another popular site for social networking but geared toward businesses. Other business-minded social networking sites include Ecademy and LinkIn. Mediabistro is an example of an industry specific social networking site, focusing on the needs of freelance writers. But should you join one of these communities and, if so, which one is right for you? Tip! The first big step in Business Networking: Get out there. Put a smile on your face, introduce yourself, and expose yourself to people. I'm not going to create a glossy picture. Instead, I'm going to say you should be realistic in your expectations. You can get business through social networkinig and it can be an effective marketing medium, but don't expect your inbox to be flooded with orders overnight. Furthermore, how you approach marketing through social networking is totally different than how you do it through other media. The number of networking communities are numerous, more than one man can count. They vary in features and amenities as well as focus. Some are simply for building social networks as in MySpace and Facebook, while others are better suited to building business networks. Some can be used for both and many successful marketers do use them for both. Again, how you approach networking through this medium is different than through other media. You don't want to blatantly advertise your product or service. That turns people off. You do want to build an exhaustive profile of yourself and your business, however. Here a few tips to how you can do that. * First, be focused. Don't talk about your dog or your goldfish named Sam. Write a profile that mentions who you are, the name of your business, what your specialty is, and who your target is. Hit it hard and quick, be specific and don't dally. * Next, include a photo. People like to know who they are doing business with. * Link back to your business web site. If you have more than one, link to them all. You can also link to your blog and, by all means, include your e-mail address. If you don't do this, what is the point? You're networking for your business; link back to your web sites. Tip! Too many people go to business networking events with the wrong focus and try to force their service down your throat. If you are not on the top of your game, you will end up stoically listening to a bunch of pitches instead of getting the person to have a real conversation. * Invite people to visit your profile page. On MySpace you can visit other people's MySpace page and invite them to be your friend. Do this but don't just invite anyone. Invite people you think you might like to do business with. Then go an comment on their pages and send them a nice, short, friendly e-mail thanking them for helping you build your network. * MySpace also allows you to send bulletin board messages to everyone in your network of friends. Do it, but not often. Some people go overboard with this and spam the board. That's annoying. Don't do it. But every now and then send an invitation to try your ezine, or purchase a product. Promote yourself in a friendly, non-pushy way. * Every networking site is different. Take some time to learn the features of the site you are using. Get comfortable with those features and use them to build your network. If you use the social networking sites correctly, people will want to do business with you. Don't be pushy, be friendly. And let people know what you can do for them. But most of all, have fun. Allen Taylor is an award-winning journalist, freelance writer and copywriter. He specializes in low-cost marketing for small businesses. For more information about how to make your business shine visit http://www.taylor-and-associates.com. Be sure to sign up for The Top Branch, a weekly newsletter sharing low-cost marketing tips for small business. Taylor and Associates is your local small business consultants, providing creative, personalized solutions. |
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