Social Networking - Start Social Networking for Your Business

Start Social Networking For Your Business

What is the functional value of Social Networking? Social Network helps level the playing field for businesses. No longer will businesses be constrained by large marketing budgets to keep their visibility. Though traditional advertising has its place and will be utilized for years to come, social media today is growing and is expected to increase by 21% into 2014 according to Forrester Interactive, “US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2009 To 2014”

The value of Social Media is threefold for any size business.

1. Increase traffic to the company web site by back linking.
2. Promote awareness of your company and products.
3. Control of Branding for your company and products.

Creating a buzz about your company takes creative and diligent work. You will be rewarded for your efforts by increasing your web traffic and hopefully directing customers to your front door. Posting on a consistent basis takes time and forethought. The more active you are the more you will be noticed. But there is certain etiquette posting, do not over post your message and do not insist on being heard, friended or fanned. Gentle persuasion is often more effective then insistence. Posting free product advice can be very effective. Create a dialog; interacting with clients is essential to having them involved in your product. I personally feel it is a mistake to not allow postings on to your page and to keep the dialog one sided. I have seen this happen before and until recently noticed that was how my professional Facebook page was set up. It has been changed very recently. We all learn by trial and error. But this is a personal decision you have to make of how you want to interact with your readers. The beauty of Social Media is involvement, getting to know your clients and what their needs are, that entails listening.

All Social Media when used properly will help brand who you are and what you represent. Today having a web site is not enough; discussions in Social Media and blogging is essential today to let people know your level of expertise in your product and service. If your product or service is business-to-business Linkedin is where you should be. This networking site is for serious business contacts and offers a wealth of opportunities to spotlight your expertise on your services. I
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suggest you open a group discussion on Linkedin, share your knowledge in your product or service and get noticed. Having people turn to you for advice or information is valuable when competition is high, so work to set yourself apart. Consumer based products have a place in Facebook and Twitter. It is a sure way to quickly get you noticed; the site is growing daily and easy to use for getting your word out and posting pictures and videos. Keep your postings professional. This is not the place to post pictures that may deem you as unprofessional; I think you know what I mean. Always put your best foot forward be personable but professional, and most of all interact.

By keeping your postings professional you are spotlighting your business to the world. Keep some fun and hints of who you are by posting personable information. Remember personality is important; posting personal is not. Here is a Facebook posting I just added: “I am sitting here in my office listening to the hum of the computer as I type my latest blog post, mmm sipping on my morning coffee. It’s nice to work from home.” Sounds better than a posting, “Writing my latest blog post.” Showing hints of your personality will still let you focus on the product and will let you relate to your clients, fans and or friends as to who you are. Try to keep things positive and upbeat, but do not over exaggerate your success, lie or knock down your competitor. Everything you print is public. Eventually everything comes out. You are in control as long as you make the decision to keep it professional and on a positive note. How you come across, as an ethical, positive businessperson is essential in branding whom you are. Your personality is all a part of branding.

There is so much to Social Media and impossible to cover in this posting. It is an effective way of growing your network and businesses so I suggest you get your feet wet and create your buzz. Get more traffic to your site and through your door!

By: Linda E. Clark

Article Directory:

Linda Clark is a Social Media Consultant; she is also a graphic designer/artist. She has been in the graphics industry for over twenty years and has gone through major technological changes with the industry. Each technological step brings power to small business owners offering more opportunities through technology.
ww.LClarkGraphicDesign.com,
picos-clark.blogspot.com/

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With an increased number of organizations integrating email marketing to both cut costs and achieve a higher return on investment than traditional mail campaigns, maximizing this marketing strategy in 2010 is vital. Here are the Top 10 Email Marketing Tips for 2010.

1. Subject Lines – Keep your subject lines creative and short. If you do not provide creative subject lines, no one will ever open your email. Besides being creative, to achieve optimal open and click-through rates, keep your subject lines under 50 characters.

2. Create A Clear Call To Action – Be sure to create a clear call to action within your email marketing newsletters. Lay out exactly what you want the recipients of your message to do, and design the message to make that path easy for your recipients to follow.

3. Experiment With Link Placement – The place in which a link appears in your email marketing campaign can be crucial for click-through rates. Experiment with link placement in your newsletter by segmenting your list, or separate your list into multiple lists to determine which link works best in a certain position.

4. Address Recipients With Their Name – Personalize your marketing emails to greet and address recipients individually with their name. People are more likely to read your email when you address them with their name, instead of making them feel like a number in a bulk email.

5. Provide Both HTML & Plain Text – Your email recipients may not like HTML messages that much. Be sure to offer a text version of your emails that your recipients can subscribe to instead of the HTML version.

6. Content Is King – Providing great content is the key to increasing your ROI through email marketing. When writing promotional copy, be sure to know your audience and establish an objective or action you are trying to get the reader to take.

7. Engage Your Audience In The Dialog – What are people thinking about when it comes to your organization? Invite your subscribers to engage in a dialog with you through your email marketing newsletters. Ask readers to submit their questions or concerns and then publish your answers and opinions. This kind of dialog shows that you care and is the best form of relationship building.

8. Make Landing Pages Fit Your Email Marketing Campaign – Landing pages are an important component of an email marketing campaign. Make sure the design of the landing page matches the design of the email campaign.

9. How Often To Send Your Newsletter – Studies reveal that one newsletter a month is optimal in communicating with your subscribers. However, your subscribers will let you know how frequently they want to hear from you. They’ll let you know by means of unsubscribing.

10. Brand Your Emails – Email marketing is a great way to reinforce the brand of your organization to all of your stakeholders. During email campaigns, include your logo and locate it in the same place each time. Make sure to use both the same colors and fonts in your email marketing as you do on your website and in all printed collateral.

Unfortunately, many organizations will lose revenue by not incorporating these online email marketing tips this year.

BlueTree Marketing specializes in Web 2.0 marketing & online fund raising auctions, BlueTree Marketing provides a turn-key Internet strategy to help organizations grow an active online community that interacts with its supporters and manages the organization’s brand online. BlueTree Marketing has also designed an online auction solution specifically designed to meet the fund raising needs of schools and nonprofit organizations. Our online auctions create opportunities to increase revenue and awareness by reaching out to new donors and opening up fundraisers to a wider audience.

For more information about BlueTree Marketing, including current and recently concluded auctions, visit http://www.bluetreemarketing.com or call 305-788-1849.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Rechtman


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This post was written by Rolf on May 1, 2010

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