Understanding Social Media
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flikr, etc. These are all social networking sites the business world is buzzing about these days.
But why? And how are some people using these platforms to make money and bring in new clients for their companies?
Let's face it, no one wants to get left behind in business and certainly no one wants to miss out on a new way to attract new customers.
First let's talk about the wrong way to do social media marketing.
These sites are not advertising vehicles to blast out sales pitches to millions of people. Sorry it's not that simple. The fastest way to fail at this new form of marketing is to try to slap old marketing methods on a new media.
There are two terms that are often used interchangeably but they have important distinctions. Social media and social networking.
Social media refers to the technology. The various platforms mentioned in the first sentence of this article are all social media sites. They are places people can go to exchange new ideas, meet other people with similar interests, have conversations and build relationships.
They are places where people gather. But they are also the technology side of all this, and to a lot of people, the technology can be overwhelming.
Social networking, on the other hand, is the human activity that people do every day. If you are in business, you already understand the importance of building relationships, engaging in conversations and helping other people out.
If you attend Chamber of Commerce meetings, network with others, give and receive referrals and try to be helpful to people who may or may not be able to directly put money in your pocket, you are engaging in social networking in the offline world.
Social media sites simply give you the opportunity to take those same human activities that you've already discovered are good business, to the online world.
In my opinion, the very best book on social networking was written in 1936. It's a little book you've probably already read. It is called "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.
You can see, then, why the kinds of activities Dale Carnegie wrote about decades ago are smarter business practices than just blasting out sales pitches to the masses. Social networking gives you the opportunity to make friends, build trust and credibility to millions of people online - as long as your actions are not overtly self serving and calculated.
The people who succeed in online social networking are the same people who succeed in networking at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. They don't go to sell (at first), they go to meet people, exchange ideas, help other people out, give referrals, etc.
Does it pay off for them? Of course it does or smart business people wouldn't continue to spend hundreds of dollars each year for membership fees.
By focusing first on building relationships and trust, the sales process becomes a whole lot easier.
So get started right away. Jump on Twitter and send out helpful articles and useful information to people who you want to do business with. Don't pitch, just be helpful and engage in conversations.
Social networking gives you the opportunity to succeed by being a nice person.
Mark Crowson
Top Page Marketing Solutions, LLC
www.TopPageClickz.com
Mark@toppageclickz.com
Direct: 817.510.3718
Cell 817.721.0508
Fax 814-284-0275
