Social Networking (MARKETING) for Business
by Shane Leite
In the last issue of Sabona we discussed the what, where and how of Social Networking. With Social Networking users can interact and contribute to the internet knowledge base in a social environment.
In this issue I am going to show you how to angle Social Networking to be Social Marketing and how you can use
it to promote and grow your business. Fortunes are now being made by those who capitalize on the social media world.
Many have the misconception that you get clients to your business website through advertising, search engine searches and direct word of mouth referral. This is only the tip of the iceberg - Social Marketing IS the iceberg. What Social Marketing does is give you the benefit of direct traffic from some of the most popular and highest ranking sites on the website today. As an off-shoot to social marketing, you get a boost in search engines and a new source of potential clients.
By now you should have experienced some social networking like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube etc. It is one thing to put a simple page together, but when you put thousands of social media sites to work, in a systematic and strategic way, you are turning a little Snowball into an avalanche!
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Video Create a video of your product, technology or service. Upload it to social video sites (For example http:www.youtube.com). Attach strategic keywords. Due to the high rankings of video sites like YouTube, your video may come up in search engine results to promote you.
Website Traffic Promote your website though StumbleUpon, (http:www.stumbleupon.com) where members can review a website that fits their areas of interest. Members then share and vote on websites. By building your profile, you can build a network of members with common interest. They vote on your website and your website gets exposed to other members with similar interests and Voila! You have new clients
All you need to do is review the social networking sites on offer and think of creative ways in which they can help you. Following is a list of a few top ranked social sites that you can review and consider in your new social marketing efforts. Enjoy!
http:www.facebook.com, http:www.myspace.com, http:www.youtube.com, http:www.stumbleupon.com, http:www.scribd.com, http:www.flickr.com, http:www.squidoo.com, http:www.gather.com, http:www.linkedin.com, http:www.del.icio.us, http:www.technorati.com, http:www.slideshare.net.
If you have any further questions, visit http:www.shaneleite.com
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