Guide : Marketing
Social Networking
Summary / Quick Tips
Join social networking sites that include your target market. Configure your signature & profile to link to your website and see what other features you can make use of.
Make regular and valuable contributions to the social network including links to your website where appropriate.
Initial Steps Towards Social Networking For Your Business
Social Networking can be used as a low cost marketing tool for small businesses. Here are the first steps you should take:
- Find networking sites which have members from your target market, i.e. If you sell Snowboarding equipment, find the major snowboarding networking sites, or find sites that concentrate on the region you operate you in.
- Reflect your brand or area of expertise in your member name.
- Configure your signature. Many sites allow you to configure a "signature" that is displayed after each of your postings in forums. If the website's rules allow it, add a link to your website from your signature.
- Build your profile page. Include information about your business, products and of course the benefits that you offer customers. Make it interesting. Keep it up to date.
- Find additional features. Different sites offer different features. Learn what each has to offer and think about how you can use it to your advantage. For example they may allow you to create blogs, submit articles, start groups or have a photo gallery.
Activities to Promote Your Business on Social Networks
Here are examples of activities that you can undertake on social networking sites to promote your business and drive traffic to your website:
- Post on forums, groups, walls etc., benefiting from a link to your website in your signature, or a link to your profile from your username. Make valuable and regular contributions to the community to gain the trust and respect of other members and to increase your number of links.
- Conduct "Polls" to find out more about your potential customers and what they are looking for. People tend to enjoy taking part in polls because they can express a view and easily see what other people think too.
- If the website provides a blog you can post new entries that link to your website. If not, link to the blog on your website after making new posts from groups, forums, walls etc.
- Add interesting videos or podcasts to your profile to get the attention of other members.
- Post links to any articles you create on your website, providing members with relevant information on a regular basis.
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