At the end of last year, I wrote the article “Networking Strategies to Maximize Your Social Networking Results“, in which I mostly discussed utilizing FaceBook. In the article I explained that even though I had my profiles set up on FaceBook, Plaxo and Linkedin, I had not put them to good use before last year. I just went through the motions: accepting friend requests or checking on others, but not using the social sites as marketing tools.

My strategy has changed a lot since then. I now use social networking on a daily basis. I also added Twitter, which I have to be honest, I still don’t really understand how it works. How can 1500 people follow me? Where do they come from? In the end I don’t really have to know the mechanism of Twitter, because I already see the results. I take every opportunity and medium to get exposure.

My clients who haven’t spent time with me discussing social marketing ask me all the time, “should I use social media to promote my business and get clients; and how do I do that?”

The great advantage with social media is that it’s free! You can potentially start your business with no cost and still have a great marketing tool to promote your business on a shoestring budget.

The problem with social media is that it can take up too much time. If you are not organized or don’t have a system, you will be very quickly overwhelmed. You won’t have strategies and won’t see any results. You may give up or become distracted before seeing the positive aspects of social networking.

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

1. Start a blog, even if you have a website – Use free sites like blogger.com or wordpress.com. Post twice items at least twice a week. Blogs get better ranking than websites on Google, so it will be easier for people to find you. The more you post, the better your ranking.

2. Set up your profile on Facebook, Linkedin, Plaxo and Twitter – Fill out as much information about you and your business as you can. Mention your website and blog. Put your picture, add articles, videos, everything you have that will help people to get to know you and your service/product better. Link your Plaxo account to Facebook, so you don’t have to update it. Each time you post on Facebook or make a change, it will automatically appears on Plaxo. Link your twitter account with your blog. The linking options save you time and worry.

3. Post on a daily basis – I post twice a day, usually – in the morning before I check my emails and in the evening before I turn off my computer. After a while it becomes automatic. A lot of people ask me “what do you write about twice a day?” You have to find a balance between giving free information and promoting your business. If you try to sell each time you post, people will see it as spam and will block you.
Don’t try to sell anything; promote your free offer instead. Bring people into your marketing funnel. Attract them with a free report, or a free CD, or both (as I do on www.theconnectionqueen.com, when people sign-up they get my free mini e-course “15 Ways to Maximize Your Networking Results”, and my free audio “Networking Know How”). Let them sample your services, get to know you, like you and trust you so when they will be ready, they will buy from you or send you referrals.

4. Join groups and forum related to your target market. I personally noticed a better result with the groups on Linkedin, than on Facebook. I post once a week. My posts normally involve an invitation to my teleclass, offer free tidbits of information or promote a product. Since you joined a targeted group, you know that people will relate to what you do and promote. I get numbers of new subscribers from those groups.

5. Start using videos and post them on Youtube, Viddler or Facebook and everywhere you can. Don’t wait until you will get a professional video. Take your camera and make a 2 minute video to start. What you want is exposure, not become a professional film maker. I know millionaire internet marketers that still make amateur videos because they get more results than with a more professional one. You want to be true to people.

6. Join BlitzTime - I mentioned BlitzTime recently in my newsletter. It offers a new way to network over the phone. I like the concept because it is between a live event and social media. You can speak with about 10 to 12 people per hour and you don’t waste your time going somewhere. You do it from your home, office or everywhere you are as long as you have a phone. You network with people from all over the country and not just locally. I meet a French Canadian woman last week and a couple of days later we followed up out side of BlitzTime. We realized that our businesses are similar: helping people set up businesses in the US or in Canada. After our conversations we decided to start a partner together to grow our business.

The advantage of a tool like BlitzTime is that by speaking with the person you have a direct contact, compared to just exchanging email or showing your business via post or website. Social networking sites are great marketing tools to promote your business by generating interest and traffic to your websites for free. It is important to use them to brand yourself as an expert in your industry and get as much as exposure as you can.

But remember communicating with people and getting new contacts/friends on social media is just step one. You must also have a follow-up system to keep in touch with those people after, or you waste time and money.Don’t miss the boat use social media to your advantage.

If you haven’t done it yet join me on – Facebook – Twitter – Linkedin -
BlitzTime – Networking – Networking

Just let me know you are already on my newsletter or a reader from the blog to make sure that I accept you. Connect with you soon.