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The Five Steps to Increasing Your Presence on The Social Networks

By Cary Ganz

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 16Jun2009 Word count: 848 Viewed: 228 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

There is no question that social network marketing is not only here to stay but more than likely a moving force in marketing in general. Sometimes getting started with something new can become a very daunting task so I thought it would be advantageous to write a brief article on making this event a bit more user friendly.

In reality, social network marketing has two basic components. One is the personal side and the other a business event. In both cases the process is basically the same.

Step 1: Finding Your Home - You need to determine where you want to spend your time. Not all of the social network sites are the same. Some lean to different ages (i.e. MySpace), some to different niches (i.e. Facebook) and others more related to business (i.e. LinkedIn). Now, in reality, most of these sites, including the ones just mentioned, cross over to some degree.

If you have the time, join them all. If you're like most people, however, you'll find one or two sites that fit your needs and then you'll be at home.

Step 2: Creating Your Profile - One the items common to practically all of the social network sites is the need to create a profile. Tell your future friends who you are, what you like and why you are participating in this specific forum. I would suggest that this is not the place for 'spin'. You need to be honest and forthcoming if you are going to create the long lasting relationships so necessary to be successful in social network marketing.

Step 3: Relationships - OK. Now it's time to create relationships. This may sound a bit simplistic but the real purpose of social networking is to create a group of like minded people collaborating on a frequent basis about things they have in common. That is the true purpose of being 'social'.

This will take some time and effort. The internet, being a relatively 'unsocial' environment due to the inability to actually 'touch and feel', requires additional effort. In most 'brick and mortar' relationships you meet someone, you talk, you look each other in the eye and a relationship starts.

Unfortunately this just doesn't happen on the web. You need to be a bit more resourceful.

Step 4: Content/Frequency - Relationships on the social network scene are created by content you develop and post on the specific site. It doesn't make a difference whether it's on Twitter or on Facebook or MySpace. There are certain limitations with each of these websites but for the most part, you need to add content that is real and pertinent to your current and/or potential friends. You not only need to add good content but it needs to be frequently placed in order to a) get noticed and b) maintain relationships.

Step 5: Don't Burn Your Bridges Marketing - OK. You may be reading this article in order to learn how to use social networks for marketing your new or current online or offline business. Sorry, but this brief article really can't go into all of the various tools available to assist you in that endeavor. However, there is one real important point to be made here that will make your marketing efforts successful. Be hones. Don't SPAM or SCAM or you will most certainly burn your bridges behind you.

Just like in the real world, friends are made and friends can be lost. It's usually more difficult to make friends and real easy to lose them. On the web this process is made a bit more complicated and therefore it requires a great deal of attention.

Before I end this article I wanted to give you a real world example of what I am talking about with the hope that you can extrapolate it to the world of social networking.

The example is the club. When you begin to think of joining a club the first thing you need to determine is what type of club.(i.e. golf, tennis etc.) Let's assume you are a great golfer and want to find new golfing friends. You join the club and start letting people know who you are. You may participate in various committees. You go to club functions and try to meet club members. You tell them who you are and what you are looking for in the club. Then, you start participating in outings. You join foursomes and play as often as time permits. If you are looking to use your golf club membership as a business tool then you'll eventually find a group of like minded members and you'll start talking business while on the course. You'll be honest and forthcoming or else you will either lose your foursome or even possibly your membership.

Conclusion: Does this sound familiar? Well, it should and the very same concepts apply to joining an online social network "club". Whether you are currently a member of one or more social networks or planning on joining, be sure to think of the five basic steps before jumping in with both feet.

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