Facebook isn’t exactly the be all, end all for small business internet marketing, but it sure doesn’t hurt to start using it. Why? Because social networking sites like mySpace and Facebook are the models for the internet marketing of the future. Once consumers get used to using social networking sites, they will be prepared for personalized business networking. Imagine that you are handling internet marketing for a small business. You’re not, of course, going to take over the world by creating communities on existing social networking sites, but what if you could build your own social business network targeting your own community or niche? By that time most people will be old pros at building profiles, finding communities of common interest, and sharing pertinent videos and articles. So get started now so you’re not left behind. Here are 11 ways to do that:
1. Join Facebook: The only way you’re going to learn how to replicate a social networking site is to familiarize yourself with how they work. Use the Friend Finder feature to find people you already know with Facebook accounts. Join some groups to learn how people interact on social networking sites. Post some video clips and articles that interest you to see how others respond. You might even find that Facebook allows you to make business contacts you would never met in real life.
2. Join mySpace: mySpace users tend to be musicians and teenagers, but it will help you learn how to market yourself beyond your own website.
3. Subscribe to 10 Blogs: Open an account using an RSS reader and subscribe to 10 blogs about social networking and blogs that relate to your industry. Check your account every day to read the new content
4. Comment on Those Blogs: This is as simple as social networking gets. People get to know you and what you do, and you get more traffic to your own site!
5. Open a LinkedIn Account: LinkedIn has been dubbed “Facebook for Businesses” because it allows you to connect with businesspeople in your niche.
6. Open a Twitter Account: Twitter is a scaled down version of blogging. Essentially, it allows you to type 160 characters about what you’re doing at the moment. It seems a little silly, but many folks are using it, and opening your own account will allow you to gain some insight about how it might be helpful for you as you market your own business.
7. Use Workbench: Workbench is an example of personalized business networking. Since we’ve already said that such sites will be common in the future, why not spend some time now seeing just how they might work?
8. Open a StumbleUpon Profile: This social networking site allows you to build communities based on the websites that you like. If yours happens to be one that many users like, you can get a lot of traffic to your site.
9. Check Out Ning: This is a social networking site that lets you create a community that you can brand to match your own business.
10. Digg It: Digg users vote on website content that they think is most important, and it allows you to stay current with what’s happening in the business world.
11. Visit Squidoo, Flickr, and Mixx: See if any of those sites would be appropriate for building niche communities related to your business or product.
No one can predict with personalized business networks will become the norm for internet marketing, but it’s worth your time and effort now to learn how to use the social networking sites upon which the personalized business networks will be based. And don’t forget that an SEO expert can help you make a plan for getting your business involved in personalized business networks.
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