SOCIAL NETWORKING 101 The Very Basics of Marketing on the Internet
Apr 22, 2015
SOCIAL NETWORKING 101The Very Basics of Marketing on the Internet
What We Will Cover
What is Social Networking? What’s the difference between Social
Networking sites and a “regular” Web site? Do I need to have a Web site, a blog and join
Social Networking sites? How do I create an effective yet safe profile? How many sites should I join? How do I make the time to keep up with all of
this?
What IS Social Networking?
The Ability to Find People Access to Information Online “Community” Multi-directional Interactive Communication A virtual Chamber of Commerce
Old vs. New Web
Old Web (Web 1.0) predominantly one-way communication
Forums and later Blogs allowed limited two-way communication
Web 2.0, or Social Networking, allows users to interact with each other
Social Networking Sites
What These Sites Have In Common
Membership Personal and/or Business Profile “Friends” Discussions and Groups News Feeds
Why Should I Care?
You can make you and your business more visible
You can connect with customers and prospects Allows you to demonstrate your expertise People are increasingly searching for goods
and services using Social Media Web sites are becoming secondary sources of
information
Why Should I Care?
If Facebook was a country it would be the world's third largest
More than 95% of people under 30 are using Social Networking
The fastest growing demographic of Social Networking users is between 30 and 50 years of age
Social Networking has surpassed Google - and even pornography - as an Internet activity
What About "Regular" Web?
Blogs still have an important role in connecting you with your customers and your prospects
Regular Web sites allow you to maintain a virtual storefront or office
Social networking sites can drive traffic to your blogs and your “traditional” Web sites.
DIVING INTO SOCIAL NETWORKINGCreating Your Place in Cyber Space
Creating Your ProfileWhat you need to know to create a profile the will help the right people find you.
Your Profile Photograph
Bad Photos Good Photos
Profile Data
Be discreet with personal information Focus on business information In general, keep it professional Avoid controversial statements Be descriptive when writing about your
business If possible, insert links to your Web site(s) and
blog(s) Create one profile per site Use key words
Making FriendsHow to build a network that will help you build your business
Invite People You Know
Co-workers Vendors Customers Networking buddies Prospects Quality over quantity – be discriminating
(except on Fan Pages)
Meet New People
Join Groups "Like" people and Pages Post on your page Post on other people's Pages Attend events Put "Badges" on your Web page(s) and blog(s) Use QR or other tags
About Friend Requests…
You don’t have to accept all friend requests If you don’t know the person, investigate You can always “un-friend” someone later Look at your friends’ friends Quality vs. quantity
Posting ContentHow to attract attention and avoid trouble
Respect Terms Of Service
Be sure you understand the Terms Of Service (TOS)
Violating TOS can alienate you from community members
Violating TOS can get you banned for life Report TOS violations
Use Your Common Sense
Think before you post Avoid negative posts If you feel the need to criticize, make it
constructive Understand the definition of “libel” and
“slander”
Make It Informative
Post “how to” articles and videos Look for opportunities to comment on other
people’s postings Add value if you comments on someone else’s
posting It’s OK to make references to other postings
(preferably yours) or even seminars or products as long as it makes sense
Too much selling will backfire on you
Understanding the DifferencesHow to decide what Social Networking sites to join and how much time to spend on each
The “must be on” site Outstanding search features Ideal for job seekers Excellent resource for sales people Embodies the Six Degrees of Separation Lets members ask questions in open forums Has a variety of groups to join
Lets people find nearby businesses
Lets the “check in” when they come in
Lets them tell their friends where they are
Lets you offer coupons and discounts to visitors who check in
Lets you compile statistics
Lets people write reviews of your business
No real control over what people post
You can invite friends to join and post
May or may not work for your business
Arguably one of the most popular and effective sites for business networking
Lets you group your friends by category Allows you to send messages to multiple
friends or groups of friends Lets you create multiple groups and fan pages
for your business
Facebook Fan Page
Facebook Group Page
Biznik
Localized communities Allows members to set up events, promote them
on the site, and even collects the admission for you
Encourages members to post articles and host events
Encourages members to rate articles and events Encourages members to refer other members Free and paid membership levels
TweetDeck
HootSuite
Google Results