What is Social Networking, and Why Should I Care? (part 3 of 3)

So we’ve talked about how Web 2.0 social networking is similar to offline networking, and about all the many ways you can show up on social networks…

Now - here's the catch: remember all those new friends you’ve been making?

When you correspond with new colleagues or prospects in real time, do you send them only your own work? Not if you're wise! You might send them a New York Times article, an inspirational Neal Donald Walsch clip, a podcast from the latest Bioneers conference, and - oh, yes, by the way, here's your latest piece of work! And they'll probably be doing the same thing for you.

This is where the “social” part of social networking takes over. You and your social network don’t just share your work and other favorite content among yourselves. You’re actually working together to promote each other. Imagine a professional business referral group on steroids, and you have a rough idea of the power that social networking can offer.

How does it work? Through the many Web 2.0 “social posting” tools. Let’s say one of your new friends sends you a blog post or video they made. Sure, you can comment on it and include your link with the comment. But why stop there?
• You can bookmark it on De.licio.us…a service that not only holds your bookmarks for you, but also tags them for the world as bookmark-worthy….
• Add it to your Google favorites – again tagging them in the process...
• Review it on your Facebook profile with Shareaholic…
• Recommend it to other people using social-posting tools like StumbleUpon, Digg, or Technorati….
• If it’s relevant to your field, post it to your Zimbio wikizine...
• In fact, you might want to send your recommendations for a really good site across the web to multiple networks by using services like Addthis, SocialMarker, SocialPoster, or Pingoat.

This is all part of the new Web 2.0 “netiquette” – sure, you can Digg or Stumble your own content, but you can only do it once per posting without getting “slapped” or penalized in your search engine ranking. Rather like spamming: nice people don't do it. Just as in offline business, the Golden Rule rules – if you give recommendations to others, you are likelier to receive recommendations in return.

In fact, your recommending others’ sites is all part of being a good “Net citizen,” indicating that you’re not head-down focused on marketing your own product or service, but actively taking part in the greater world around you.

There’s much more you can do in a Web 2.0 environment – this brief intro barely scrapes the surface. For an excellent overview of all these tools and concepts, see Mike Mindel’s summary of content from The Thirty Day Challenge by Ed Dale and Dan Raines.

Oh, and if this sounds like a lot of work, rest easy! A blog entry doesn’t need to be more than a couple of paragraphs, a couple of times a week. A video or podcast, of course, is more effort, and at the same time it will go further and last longer, much as a brochure or magazine ad might.

And remember, there’s nothing requiring you to do this writing yourself! Many writers (like Your Words’ Worth) can help you to keep a stream of posts flowing to your target audience. Some (also like Your Words’ Worth) will even write your audio script and then do the voiceover for you.

So – what are you waiting for? There’s a world of social networks out there – have fun!




KudoSurf Me!

What is Social Networking and Why Should I Care? (part 2 of 3)

Where your offline networking has certain limitations – you can present talks, rent booths, or work the crowd - online social networking offers you many ways to show up. Here are just a few tips to get you started.

1. Post blog entries and articles on your page to share sidelights on your work. What do you think about the hottest issue in your field? What's the latest trend you're seeing? How are current affairs affecting your business? How many people came to buy carbon offsets from you after Al Gore won the Nobel? What's been the impact of Britney's child-custody woes on your family-mediation caseload? Has Oprah's thyroid issue raised the number of your patients with similar symptoms? When you comment on the news, tie in the services you offer, gently, without a hard sell. In other words, use the news to make yourself news.
2. Offer entertainment! If there's a question that all your clients ask, or a hot issue that they all want to discuss, use your video camera or Powerpoint files to create a presentation about it. If you're an artist, gather digital versions of your most popular pieces into a slide show. Or if your topic doesn't offer much visual potential, download free audio software like Audacity and create a podcast. Be sure to add keywords and descriptions to each file you upload to help the search engines find you. If you're presenting valuable information - not just a sales spiel, remember, but real information that potential clients need and can use - you'll find your uploads will quickly go viral as viewers “favorite” them, post them on their blogs, and pass them around.
3. Spread yourself around! Join several social networks and post new content in each of them – perhaps a video on YouTube, a slide show on Flickr, an expert article on EzineArticles, perhaps a “business issues” blog on Blogger and a “product review” blog on WordPress, maybe even an encyclopedic resource lens on Squidoo – and then link to each on your primary social networking page. You can create a wikizine on Zimbio and fill it with articles from your blog(s), as well as articles from other sources (be sure to include the author’s bio page and link!).
4. Cross-link, don’t cross-post. It’s easy to get scattered in a Web 2.0 environment and put out tons of content that never gets picked up on the search engines. Remember – cross-links equal traffic! Effective cross-linking will build your search engine ranking. Cross-posting, however – that is, posting identical content in several places – will yield a lower ranking, if you’re ranked at all. Cross-posting is considered spamming – don’t do it.
5. Have a strategy, don’t scattershoot. You may choose to keep links to all your social network posts on a single profile (FaceBook is good for this), or you may want to embed cross-links embedded in each posting you offer. Make sure that whatever content you upload to the Web includes your name, business contact information, and website (or social networking address).

While you're - in a sense - giving this information away, the gift is actually a hook to bring clients to your door. Rest assured, other social networkers are doing the same thing, seeding the Internet with their content!

You might be asking – this is a great way for getting my name across the Web, but what does it have to do with networking? The answer? Stay tuned for next week's post!

Oh, and while you're waiting for the next post, check out this excellent video on the larger potential of Web 2.0...






KudoSurf Me!

"What is Social Networking and Why Should I Care?" (part 1 of 3)

This is a question I'm hearing a lot these days...current clients are seeking new venues to promote their web presence, new clients are seeking a cost-effective way to promote their business before they can afford a website, and they've all heard that something called "social networking" - a.k.a. Web 2.0 - can hold the key to fulfilling their desires.

Yes, Web 2.0 sounds like a good thing for sure...the only question is, umm, what is it? Is it the magic freebie marketing bullet, a voracious eater of time, or something in between?

The answer is - of course - all of the above, depending on how you use it. Without a plan, you could spend a lifetime and a half on social networking without ever achieving anything but a pile of personal profiles, company profiles, half-started blogs, and assorted other false starts. In short, Web 2.0 is just as ripe an opportunity for time-wasting as anything else you could name, if you approach it without a plan.

But if you've got a plan ----!!!

That's when social networking can become a formidable tool to build your Web presence, establish your expertise, get yourself known as an online guru and all-round good guy/gal, and in the end, build your business. And – unlike costly advertising campaigns - you can do all of this completely free of charge.

But how does it work? Here’s an analogy to help explain the concept…

Imagine the full range of real-time networking opportunities you have - from national sales conferences and expos to small chapters of professional organizations or NGOs. You can set up a booth at the Co-op America Green Festival, sign up to speak at your state Chamber of Commerce, volunteer in your local Sierra Club chapter, or anything in between. Most likely, you'll select the ones that are most relevant to your business, and participate in those.

Same principle online! You can create a profile in mega-social networks like MySpace or FaceBook, target your audience on an “enlightened” network like Gaia.com, check out the ultra-specific networks on Ning.com, or create an educational resource for your clients on a Squidoo lens. And there are many, many other options…take your pick!

So you make your choice, and here you are, with people from all different types of businesses who may need your services. Your first job is to build your profile – the way you’ll show up on this network.

Remember, the idea here is social networking, not hard sell! You want your profile to have a friendly tone, offer a little information about who you are as a person, not just a business owner, let people get to know something about what you love, value, believe in.

You might write about what first attracted you to your line of business, perhaps, or what especially excites you about your field of interest today. Be sure to include a few personal tidbits…perhaps a story about how the values you promote affect your private life (for example, what surprises did you discover when you started to green your home? What was it like, the first time you used a reel mower?). And don’t forget to include a link back to your business website (if you have one) or an email, Instant Message, or Skype address where you can be reached.

Now that your profile is up, it’s time to explore…enter the keywords that describe your business into the network’s search engine, and see what comes up. Check out the groups you find, the hot topics they're discussing. What's on their minds? In other words, do your market research. Who is in this crowd, and where are the people who might need you?

Got the lay of the land now? It’s time to start actively networking...finding and joining groups in your field of interest, dropping comments into the forums, introducing yourself, making connections. Establishing yourself as an interesting and knowledgeable person they'd like to know better, giving them a way to see more of what you do.

It’s all about finding likeminded souls in businesses that support, or are supported by, your own. And when all these interested people now have you on their radar... what do you do now? Start the hard sell? NO!

Just as you would offline, you start building friendships. Send these new connections a note saying "Nice to meet you!" Email them a news article about one of their interests. Refer a potential customer to them if you can. It keeps you on their radar, builds trust, and establishes a solid connection between you, so when they have a need that you can fill - who's the first person they'll think of? You - and you'll hardly have to "sell" at all!

That's how you can start to market in social networks like MySpace and FaceBook...using your profile, interests, and all the sharing functions to do exactly what you would do in real-time networking.

But where in real-time networking, this would pretty much describe the whole strategy, there’s much, much more in Web 2.0 social networking…

Tune in next week, when I demystify the many ways you can show up as a social networker!

If you want to see some of my own social networking appearances, visit me at:
MySpace
FaceBook
LinkedIn



KudoSurf Me!