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“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”
Jane Howard
In its earliest incarnation, the Internet didn't provide much in the way of opportunities for businesspeople to connect with their fellow businessmen and women, or with their customers. There was IRC (Internet Relay Chat), and there were websites, but beyond that there was little opportunity for promotion or networking.
Things have certainly changed. Today, one could feasibly argue that there are too many ways to interact socially online. Sites such as MySpace and Facebook have attracted the masses, often becoming parts of Internet users' daily lives. Social news and bookmarking sites have taken it upon themselves to find out what's popular online. And Twitter has become a favorite way for people to send short messages to other people or the world at large.
So what does this have to do with business? A lot. Business owners have been successfully using social networking applications to reach out to other businesspeople, their customers and their target markets for some time now. It seems like all of the large corporations have a presence on at least one social networking site.
And for small businesses, making connections online is even more important. People expect to be able to contact the businesses they patronize through social networking channels, or at least to see what they've got to say. Large corporations realize the importance of having someone to handle social networking, but their interactions tend to be a bit impersonal. As a small business owner, you can be more approachable and personable, and you can interact one-on-one with your customers and peers. This provides a unique opportunity to foster positive relationships with members of your target market.
Connecting with fellow entrepreneurs and businesspeople through social networks can also be of tremendous benefit. It allows you to keep an eye on business trends, opens the door for joint ventures, and could put you in contact with new clients. For those who are in the business to business market, social networking is practically a necessity.
And for the budget-minded business owner, you can't beat the price of online social networking. You can get involved in the most popular social networks at no cost. Some business networks have paid membership options that allow access to more features, but you can usually remain a free member as long as you like. This gives you the chance to determine whether the network is a good fit for you.
Choosing the Right Social Networks for Your Business
If you were to join every social network online, you could probably post updates 24 hours a day and still not get to them all. Fortunately, there's no need to get involved with every network coming and going. The best strategy is to concentrate on one or two that your target market and fellow businesspeople like.
Demographics are an important part of choosing the right networks. If you're targeting younger Internet users, MySpace is probably a safe bet. Facebook once boasted a user base of mostly college students, but twentysomethings to middle aged users now comprise a large portion of its membership.
If you're in the business to business market, LinkedIn is a good place to be. But there are also plenty of businesspeople to be found on Facebook, and even MySpace.
Twitter is a favorite of those who are on the go, because it's easily accessible through mobile phones. It's also refreshingly simple, functioning only as a method of sending short messages. But most Twitter users are under the age of 44, so it's not the best way to reach those in older age groups.
With sites like Ning, you can also create your own social network. This is a wonderful opportunity for online business owners to attract qualified prospects and get traffic to their websites.
Interaction Is the Key
“Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses.”
Margaret Millar
Many large businesses, and some small businesses, make the mistake of using their presence on social networks as little more than a second homepage. They might use them to announce news about their businesses or spread the word about product launches. These aren't bad things to do on social networks, unless that's all you do.
Think about it from the average user's point of view. The whole point of joining a social network is to be sociable. If they wanted to read the latest news about your business, they would visit your website or blog. When they connect with a person or a business on a social network, they expect at least some back-and-forth dialogue.
That doesn't mean that you must take it upon yourself to have an ongoing conversation with each and every member. It just means that you should spend some time replying to others' postings, and answer those that are directed at you. If you need to get the conversation ball rolling, just make a post asking for opinions.
Social networks also provide a good venue for contests and giveaways. Large companies often promise to give something to their fans if they get a certain number of them by a certain date. That could get rather expensive for a small business, but perhaps you could do something like entering all new fans into a drawing for a prize.
One way that you can get more out of your social networking experience without a lot of extra work is to use it to notify users about your latest blog posts. Just provide a link, and maybe ask for their thoughts on it. This will help generate buzz and bring traffic to your blog.
Social networking allows entrepreneurs to connect with members of their target market, no matter where they may be. With millions of people using the most popular networks, you can't afford to miss out on the opportunity they provide to forge a bond with your customers and fellow entrepreneurs.
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About the Author Want to reach Internet Marketing top gun status in no time? Now you can get a FREE 30-day test drive to eleven of the most popular and useful five-star home business membership sites at PrivilegedMemberships.com
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