If you've never had an account on Facebook or MySpace, then it might be daunting to dive into that world. After all, where would you begin? Why would people care about you, why should they be your friend, and most importantly, how would you leverage the power of these social networking sites for marketing purposes?
If you get nothing else from this article, understand this -- on social networking sites, it's all about being social. Countless marketers forget this and wind up with very few friends on these sites and, of course, no positive results to show for all their efforts.
Your first step towards leveraging Facebook and MySpace for traffic (and ultimately sales) is to create your profile. A visitor's first impression of you will probably come from looking over your profile. Depending on what your goal is for using these sites, you may want to vary what you put on your profiles there. For example, if you're trying to promote a site or product in the gaming niche, then by all means, mention that you love the XYZ game console and post some pictures of you at the latest gaming convention.
Both Facebook and MySpace have groups that you can join. If you don't have any friends, then joining groups is a great way of finding some. Go check out some groups where you feel you'd be able to contribute and join them. These are places where people with a common interest congregate - that's why groups are a great place for finding targeted traffic.
The key to marketing on social networking sites is not to market at all. Don't ever appear as if you're trying to sell something or even that you have an ulterior motive. People who visit social networking sites are generally looking for real connections with real people. When was the last time you logged onto Youtube or Twitter with the intention of purchasing the latest "make money online" home study course, right?
That isn't to say that you can't mention your business in your profile. If you're an online marketer wanting to network with fellow online marketers, then it would be wise to include business related stuff on your profile because that's what your target audience is interested in seeing.
Put yourself in your desired audience member's shoes and ask yourself if you would want to become friends with yourself. Does this person come off as a genuine person, or do they seem like a greasy salesperson in sheep's clothing?
The most important things to do when using Facebook and MySpace are to provide value in the community and to get yourself out there. You're not going to attract a flood of people adding you as their friend if you just create a profile and let it sit. You've got to actively engage in conversations and interact with people who have similar interests as you. This doesn't need to take up hours and hours of your day; you'd be surprised how far spending 15 minutes a day connecting with people can do for your business.
If you get nothing else from this article, understand this -- on social networking sites, it's all about being social. Countless marketers forget this and wind up with very few friends on these sites and, of course, no positive results to show for all their efforts.
Your first step towards leveraging Facebook and MySpace for traffic (and ultimately sales) is to create your profile. A visitor's first impression of you will probably come from looking over your profile. Depending on what your goal is for using these sites, you may want to vary what you put on your profiles there. For example, if you're trying to promote a site or product in the gaming niche, then by all means, mention that you love the XYZ game console and post some pictures of you at the latest gaming convention.
Both Facebook and MySpace have groups that you can join. If you don't have any friends, then joining groups is a great way of finding some. Go check out some groups where you feel you'd be able to contribute and join them. These are places where people with a common interest congregate - that's why groups are a great place for finding targeted traffic.
The key to marketing on social networking sites is not to market at all. Don't ever appear as if you're trying to sell something or even that you have an ulterior motive. People who visit social networking sites are generally looking for real connections with real people. When was the last time you logged onto Youtube or Twitter with the intention of purchasing the latest "make money online" home study course, right?
That isn't to say that you can't mention your business in your profile. If you're an online marketer wanting to network with fellow online marketers, then it would be wise to include business related stuff on your profile because that's what your target audience is interested in seeing.
Put yourself in your desired audience member's shoes and ask yourself if you would want to become friends with yourself. Does this person come off as a genuine person, or do they seem like a greasy salesperson in sheep's clothing?
The most important things to do when using Facebook and MySpace are to provide value in the community and to get yourself out there. You're not going to attract a flood of people adding you as their friend if you just create a profile and let it sit. You've got to actively engage in conversations and interact with people who have similar interests as you. This doesn't need to take up hours and hours of your day; you'd be surprised how far spending 15 minutes a day connecting with people can do for your business.
Dr. Bob Clarke coaches and mentors new and experienced entrepreneurs in making money online with integrity, honesty, and professionalism.
Written by Bob Clarke.
Read more of his articles at:wwww.enterprisesmnm.com
Written by Bob Clarke.
Read more of his articles at:wwww.enterprisesmnm.com
No comments:
Post a Comment