Social Networking – Go where the fish are!

Today, more and more professionals, small business owners, non-profit executives, fundraisers, politicians, religious leaders and others are beginning to understand the enormous marketing potential found in social networks. Once upon a time, social networks were nothing more than a haven for teens to gossip and exchange photos. Today they facilitate big business.

There are thousands of social networks on the internet. Every week another one goes up. Almost all social networks are based on the same concept and share the same structure: participants build a profile, invite their friends and share media and thoughts. Some internet marketers may instruct you not to focus on just one network, that you should join as many as possible. We disagree. The moment you join more than three, you will wear yourself down. It is overwhelming to have to update and keep more than two of your social network profiles running and active. Unless you have a marketing team, we suggest focusing on one network. We recommend Facebook.

Facebook 

Why Facebook?

After testing a variety of social networks, here is what we found:

• With Facebook we were receiving fewer irrelevant emails that would clutter our inboxes.

• Facebook has a simple and easy-to-use format, where all actions can be completed within the same browser window.

• We have found more professionals, companies, and small businesses on Facebook than on any other network.

• Facebook’s professional look and feel had a subconscious effect on our marketing efforts. It made us feel like pros, and we slowly became just that.

• Facebook offers a variety of means to reaching people.

• Facebook’s news feed, the first page you see when you log in, wins them all. We will explain why shortly.

How to get started in Facebook

Step 1: Build your profile Upload a picture or two of yourself and perhaps some pictures of your family and friends. Why get so personal? We are living the social media era on the web, a time when professionals are becoming more transparent as human beings. People want to know about you. Therefore, use your profile to reflect a positive and friendly image of yourself. Share your birthday, education, hobbies, favorite quotes, hometown, email address, and, above all, a link to your website.

Step 2: Invite your friends and associates to join your network Facebook has an option that allows you to invite anyone whom you consider to be a friend, and they will be added to your network when they approve the invitation. Use the Facebook search engine as well to find your long lost friends, and add them your network.

Step 3: Join groups Join any group that’s related to you, to your past, and to your community. Join groups associated with your alma mater, your high school, your Boy Scout troop, your professional circles, etc. Facebook has a group for just about everything and anything. By joining these groups, you are expanding the possibilities that old friends might find you. You also open the pathway for new friendships and associations. This is a great way to promote yourself.

Step 4: Join a Network Facebook Networks (with a capital N, not to be confused with the personal network you build by inviting friends) are like group pages for everyone who is a member of an educational, work, or geographical network. This is another great way to find people you know and build your network.

Once you are settled in Facebook and feel at ease with its format, it’s time for marketing.

http://www.iyazam.com/online-social-networking.html

7 Online Marketing Tips For Beginners

Here are 7 online marketing tips for beginners.  We all have to start somewhere and there is a learning curve for selling information and products on the internet.  That is why I wanted to provide you with the best online marketing tips that I have developed.

1.)    An online marketing tip that I would advise everyone to take is to take some time to learn a system.  Almost every system can produce results.  Don?t go from one system to the next.  Take some time to learn one system.

2.)    Take action!  People get stuck with ?analysis paralysis.?  Once you have settled on a system and learned the basics, don?t be afraid to take action.  Get out there and do it.  If you make mistakes, so be it.  You will have setbacks, but don?t worry about it.  Fail fast and fail forward.

3.)    Learn to write sales copy.  Perhaps the most important online marketing tip I can give you is to learn to write sales copy.  There may come a time when you outsource this task to professional copywriters, but knowing the basics yourself will allow you to evaluate their work.  Besides, you probably can?t afford to spend thousands of dollars right now on a professional, so learning to do it yourself is important.

4.)    Learn to write articles quickly.  One of the best ways to promote your products is to write articles like this one and submit them to directories.  But, if it takes you 2 hours to write a single article, you will not be able to put out the quantity needed to make money online.  One expert has a system down where he can write articles in just 7 minutes.  While it will probably take you more than that at first, strive to write at least two an hour.  They don?t have to pass your 10th grade English teacher?s muster, they just have to send people to your site.

5.)    Consider Pay Per Click.  PPC is the quickest way to deliver traffic to your website.  However, if you don?t learn how to do it, you can lose your shirt.  If you have a product that you want to start selling right away, PPC is the best avenue for you.  But learn the ins and outs before you bid on high priced, high trafficked keywords.

6.)    Create processes.  You shouldn?t re-invent the wheel every time you create a new product or a new web site.  Instead, have a specific system.  Develop your own guide book to setting up a blog or promoting an ebook.  Not only will this save you time in the long run, it will also help you make more money.  This is one of those online marketing tips that so many marketers miss.

7.)    Create value.  Don?t think that internet marketing is all about taking your customer?s money.  Don?t think of your customers as ?marks.?  Develop relationships with them and provide value to them.  It?s much harder to get an initial customer than have someone who trusts you buy from you again. 

So, there are seven online marketing tips to get you going.  Now, go get started!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226627

How to Make Money Through Social Media Marketing

Social media, is it a business model? No. It is a marketing tactic.

Is there a way to monetize social media?

Yes, if your business plan outlines exactly how you will generate revenue from specific social media related activities and you implement these revenue generating activities on a consistent basis, you may be able to monetize your social media operations.

Many business owners are confused about the idea of monetization when it comes to social media.  So let’s take a look at where this befuddlement is coming from and break it down…

How many people on Twitter have you seen with the words  “social media expert” or “social media marketer” …or my favorite “certified social media expert” in their bio?  While this may seem like an impressive title to hold, the real question is… are these people making money doing this and how are they experts in something that is in a state of perpetual evolution?

Tip #1: Be specific about what you do. Claiming to be an expert in social media is like claiming to be an expert in life. If you are a marketing consultant that helps businesses to develop a long-lasting relationship with their audience through social media, that is something that will set you apart from the rest of the social media “gurus” out there. Have a tagline or an elevator pitch in your bio across all platforms that let’s your target audience know what kind of work you do and how it will make their life better.

Social media is a form of marketing.  It is a great way to strike up conversations with people who share common interests, get some exposure for or from brands while being the fastest way to build your global reputation.

No longer do small businesses and brands have to rely on shaking hands at trade shows and conferences if they want to build relationships with buyers and consumers (although this is still a tried and true way to make connections). Now, they can engage with buyers, consumers, distributors, journalists and even Oprah right on social media.

Tip #2: If you want to make money through your social media efforts, you have to make it clear how people can benefit if they pay you for your products or services.

If you are hanging up a shingle that labels you as a social media expert, how are you generating revenue? Are you selling programs that teach business owners how to use social media using a system that will get desired results because it did the same for you? Are you consulting businesses on how to reach their target demographic? Are you implementing strategies and performing social media marketing operations for companies?  Are you facilitating connections between brands and consumers or big brands and small businesses? Are you designing software for businesses that lets them manage and track their social media engagement? What exactly is your social media revenue model?  Without one, there is no way to make money through social media.

Simply sending out tweets or Facebook updates and gathering followers, likes and RTs isn’t enough to pay the bills or to get savvy business owners to hire you even if you have hundreds of thousands of followers.  If you want to turn a profit, you must have a plan for making sales while building relationships with decision makers who will hire you.

If you are offering a service that provides social media marketing for businesses, how do you plan to measure and track your results? Is there a cost associated with this? How does that affect your bottom line? Your plan will outline all of your expenses, goals and projections.

Tip #3: If you want to be successful at social media marketing, be professional and respectful online and off. Look for ways to be better than the competition not by having a title that says so, but by being it. Stay current on social media marketing news, trends and events and share this information with your clients so that they know, like and trust you and your work.  Go above and beyond the scope of work and see how fast word travels on social media about how awesome you are.

As with any type of business, if you want to make money, you must have a plan.  It doesn’t have to be a fifty page document, but it does have to outline in detail: who you are, what you have to offer, how you plan to get the word out about your offerings, who will be on your team and how you plan to grow.  This plan will be useful for your team, potential investors or if you ever want to sell your company.

Remember, social media marketing is a tactic, not a business model.  If you want to make money, you have to have something to offer.

Are you a social media marketer who is making money through your efforts? Care to share any tips or thoughts? Please join the conversation in the comments section. See you there!

http://www.worksmartmompreneurs.com/blog/marketing/how-to-make-money-through-social-media-marketing/