Using Social Networking Sites to Boost Business

You are probably well aware that social media marketing is a fast-growing phenomena , tapping into the rising influence of communities such as blogs, wikis, and networking sites. I highly recommend small business owners to take advantage of this medium to create low-cost buzz about you and your business. If you join these active communities, you can build relationships and promote your products and expertise. Social networking online community sites bring millions of people of various origins and interests together. It can be considered an alternate community especially for people who spend most of their times in front of their PCs, either for recreation, business, or whatever purpose they have.

How?

1. Join a professional networking site. You must be committed to market and you work the community or you will get nothing in return. Some examples are LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, and Facebook.

2. Become a commentator on a well-trafficked blog in your industry or field. Get familiar with a few blogs compatible with your business. Visit your industry or professional associations and trade journals to see what they offer. Get up-to-speed on the blog's tone, issues, and attitudes before you engage and don't be surprised when you start generating reactions.

3. Contribute to a community whose members could be your potential customers. Check the comments, forums, and profiles of a community, you can determine member interests, locations, and a rough sense of demographics. Once you've identified a community that matches your preferred customer, there are a number of ways to get noticed.

4. Launch a blog. The first impression is everything. Connect with your readers through an about page and welcome message. One of the best ways to make a lasting impact is to connect on a personal level with your readers. That means letting them know who you are.

5. Create a viral video campaign. Online videos are cheaper and easy to create and upload. Try producing a two or three minute video that dramatizes or explains your online site or your market niche and yourself. Then upload the video to MSN, YouTube, or other video communities to drive traffic to your Web site.If you link the videos to community pages on social bookmarking sites, you create a little network that search engines will find. Soon you will get more referred traffic and, potentially, more customers.

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Join in groups and forum discussions. Share your knowledge and pick some business information along the way. You can smoothly introduce your products or services to your fellow members during discussions by citing an anecdote relating to your products or the advantages that people can get from them. Upload tutorial videos, if you have any, and provide a link to your website.

Michelle Clark, PMP

Chief Marketing Officer

Amici Communications