Making The Most Of Social Networking

Is social networking really as effective as everyone says it is for business?  Yes it is, and it is not as hard as you might think!  Anyone can implement social networking as part of their businesses, it doesn’t matter if your company is big or small. You might even have some fun with it!  Here are a few steps to help you get started.

Create a Niche

 Is there a certain part of your business that you are REALLY good at?  Highlight it with status updates and connect with individuals and businesses that are in that niche area.  For example, a business coach that specializes in small business and entrepreneurs wouldn’t connect with large business and corporate conglomerates that would be ineffective and waste of time. By focusing on the areas and individuals that are your target audience, you will be able to network and expand your contacts.

 Plan Out What Your Going to Say

Most social networking platforms let you do what’s called “scheduling” of your profile updates.  For example, you may create your updates for the week on Monday and then you can add them into a scheduler like Ping.Fm or Hootsuite . These schedulers will post them on the day that you indicate, that way if you get too busy, you will know that your profiles are still getting updated.

 Check Out Your Competition and then Create Partnerships with Them 

Sounds crazy, huh?  But it’s not.  Clearly we all can’t be everything for every client or customer.  Let’s say that you are a transcriptionist and you are too busy to help a customer with a project that they need ASAP, why not reach out to one of your competitors to see if they can help?  I know it sounds like the opposite of something that you would do but you may be surprised at how well these partnerships work. Referrals as well as knowing how your competitors operate can be beneficial in the long run.

 Learn What’s New

 Social media is one of those ever changing things that you need to stay on top of.  Make sure when you are working on your networking you also spend time on study about what’s new. New platforms pop up everyday and if you stay ahead of the game you will have the upper hand on the latest technology and your clients will appreciate that you are up to date.

 The most important step you can do though is every day take 20 minutes to work on your social networking.  Schedule it if you have to.  Put it on your calendar and set a timer.  Making time for it every day consistently will ensure that you are making the connections and fostering them.