Online Social Networking – 3 Common Misuses by Marketers
The growth in the popularity of online social networking sites has attracted flocks of internet marketers to various sites. In fact the phenomenal growth of social network sites has likely been boosted by this attraction. Online entrepreneurs being an opportunistic bunch recognize the traffic potential these sites have. It appears however that effectively using these sites for marketing on the internet still seems to be in the developmental stages.
Let’s look at 3 common mistakes people continue to make when trying to use social network sites for marketing on the internet.
It’s a Social Community Not a Marketplace
Do not go into any social site with your marketing guns blazing away. You will likely find yourself shooting blanks. People do not like to be approached about buying insurance at a Christmas Party and social network members do not like to be assaulted with advertisements. The biggest mistake of all here is that little or no time is spent by many online entrepreneurs to develop any type relationship with other members.
Hiding Your Identity
Bad move right away! If you are on a social site but are reluctant to ‘reveal’ your identity you may as well move on. OK maybe a ‘mysterious personality’ is attractive to some in the dating scene however these are SOCIAL sites.
You can not expect a person to feel comfortable with someone that acts like they are part of a ‘witness protection program’ and therefore reluctant to reveal their identity. You will be received with all the warmth of a glass of ice water on a cold winter day!
Your first step when joining any of the social network sites should be to complete your bio. It is also a good idea to post a picture of yourself or at least a caricature if you are that shy.
Getting Expectations Too High
Yes social network sites can be used to help grow your business but relationships must first be built before significant and meaningful traffic can be generated. Online entrepreneurs should not rely too heavily upon these sites for immediate and targeted traffic needs since their origins are rooted in socializing and not commerce. Social networking is what spawned the popularity of these sites and it is unlikely that emphasis will change.
On the other hand these sites are a great compliment to your other traffic sources and contacts you make here can prove to be fruitful later on.
It is tempting to devote a lot of time ‘working’ social network sites for business due to the traffic potential and because they are ‘free’ to join. However time is money and you may find you are spending more time at these sites than they are worth at least from a business standpoint.
Online social networking remains to be a potential marketing bonanza but far too many online entrepreneurs continue to use inefficient and ‘anti-social’ techniques. Their mistaken attitudes and behavior only serve to make their efforts less effective. The 3 common mistakes we reviewed above serve as mere examples of the type ‘behavior’ most social network sites are not receptive to. In order to more efficiently utilize these sites for marketing purposes there will be a greater need for the use of finesse and patience. At that point the vast potential of these sites will then begin to be released.
Social Marketing Tips – 4 Simple Steps Social Marketing Success!
Social marketing looks very simple from the outside however if you want to send traffic to your sites using social networks you will need to work hard. There are so many different types of social networking sites all over the web however only a handful are well-liked. You will have to put together your social marketing plan to particular audiences at popular websites.
Below are four steps to make contact with potential customers within social networks:
Step #1:
Your social marketing plan must be to pick out the correct social network. You will have to pick out the top 5 social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg etc and then create an account. Whilst you create an account, give personal information and always provide your website URL along with any blogs you have.
Step #2:
Once you have an account which is live, next in your social marketing strategy should be to find friends to sign up to the network.
Step #3:
As soon as you have a sufficient amount of friends, start sharing information about your online business and Your website URL with your new friends. On social networks word travels fast and the information given by you gets shared with hundreds of people within that network. Doing this will indirectly market your online business and ensure a regular flow of potential traffic to your website.
Step #4:
Always look to join groups. Experts think that large groups have lots of members and that is where your social marketing plan will totally work. Join lots of groups and share your information and website URL.
By simply following the steps above will assist you in reaching a huge audience very fast!
Social Networking Designs And Development – The Latest Emerging Genre
These social networking sites have become successful in breaking human isolation and thus have created the environment of social communication. This has successfully awakened the general mass. MySpace, Facebook, orkut, Hi5 etc have become the popular sites for social networking. These social networking sites have become so popular that hey have found application in medical, engineering and many other business prospects. LinkedIn, a social networking site has over 20 million registered professionals from around 150 different streams and working domain who have come together. They have engaged themselves in commercially viable discussion and share their opinions, business goals, experience and interests. This interaction has made it possible for the professionals to exchange ideas and know more about others product assembly line with much less efforts.
For health care professionals there are sites like Sobercircle, Patientslikeme, etc. provide scope for the health care professionals and even for the patients to interact one to one basis. This helps the patients to know better about their diseases and possible remedies. These sites have made arrangements to secure the name and profile of an individual user.
Social network sites are now more visited rather than personal email. Some social network has grown enormously such that they can even be compared to entire country in terms of its population. There are various aspects to make a social network more users friendly and more attractive to the users.
For the success of any website the developer must focus on the design of the site. It should be such designed that the visitor gets engaged immediately and are drawn to the site. Users try to grasp within seconds of reaching the home page what the site has to offer. Most users are not much inclined to figure out what a website is for if it is not apparent within few seconds. Thus the developer should focus more on a simple tag line, use of proper graphics, site’s title, etc. it should have something to get engaged for both new as well as returning visitors other than signing in. They should get proper opportunity to explore what the particular site is about.
Social networking sites are basically made so that one can express himself. Some networking sites give full freedom to the users to make changes in their profile as they wish and some restrict on design options.
Social networking sites are much more dynamic. They allow content to change constantly with the latest popular and valuable information.
Social networking sites are more about making friends so there is always a chance of their number getting increased each day. So making them into a group is quite important. This helps in sorting out friends in respect to your work friends, college friends, casual acquaintances, close friends etc.
The site should make it easy for users to communicate which is the entire point of joining a social network. The developer should concentrate on private messages, public messages or comments, live chat etc that are basic in a social networking site.
