Of late, many of us have been registering ourselves on various social networking websites like Twitter, Orkut, Facebook, LinkedIn and many others. But do we know how to go about it?
You may notice we have made no reference to open groups in this discussion. We believe there is an abundance of open networking groups and no need to create more. If you’re looking for an active, powerful, open group, look no further than your local chamber of commerce. If it isn’t functioning at a high level, volunteer to super-charge the networking for them. You will have an instant audience and you will be more likely to succeed.
The best way to gain an audience and build a name in this industry is to create your portfolio of quality articles. Utilize job boards and social software defined networking to advertise your work. The more traffic you gain, the more offers you’re going to get from companies asking you to produce great articles for them.
Social Networks like Facebook and Twitter are two examples. Spend a little time looking around these sites to see how things work, then jump in! Being on these networks will keep your business in front of people that may be interested in getting some work done. Post useful information, answer questions, look professional but don’t be pushy. This works. Social networking is the fastest growing segment online (my mom is on Facebook), make use of this growing market now.
If there’s a long article online, there had better be bullet points to identify whether or not it’s relevant to what I’m looking for. And if it’s a book, it had better have subheadlines so that I can identify the chapter to read. The bottom line is that we’re lazy. But that’s actually good news for video marketing. If people would rather see a video, it’s your job to give it to them. But you have to use your network marketing skills, along with a few social business networking groups near me, to really make your videos hit home for your prospects.
This will help prioritize your networking. It will also show you over time which groups are effective, the amount of money you spend networking, and the cost of driving to each networking event.
Twitter tweets allowance is 140 characters. It may seem short, but you can get in quite a mouthful. No one ever said networking had to be a long drawn out novel. Don’t underestimate the power of short and quick replies because with the right words they can add a lot of punch.
If you were to examine the analytics on a video where a guy talked about himself and his own experiences for thirty seconds, and then you saw the stats on another video where a guy made the experiences personal for the video, you’d likely see a better conversion rate on the second guy’s video. That’s because web surfers are selfish. That’s not a bad statement. It’s not saying anything bad about anyone. But it’s a true statement and it’s one that you have to keep in mind when using video marketing.
If someone within your professional circle gives you a qualified lead, it is highly reasonable that the customer on this lead has made several people aware of their interests in a product or service. Which would mean that their name and phone number is being passed around in more than one professional circle.
Don’t be afraid to contact those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.