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Are you one of the bazillions of people using social network sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace?
And if you are – are you using them effectively to get new business?
I’m not talking about flooding your followers and networks with one sales pitch after another, but instead building real relationships with people that might be interested in your products or services.
Think about the term “social networking” for a second…Hmm…It includes the word “networking”.
And what do you think about when you hear that word? (no – not computer networking)
Personally, I think of it as meeting a bunch of other business or sales professionals in a public setting to learn more about each other and how to help each other.
In essence – networking is building personal and professional relationships that will benefit all involved.
You know how annoying it is when someone introduces themselves, slips you their business card, and goes on for 20 looong minutes about themselves and how great they are, when all you want to do is find the quickest exit.
Because all they’re concerned with is themselves, they turn everyone off, and in the process, won’t see a lick of benefit from the people they just alienated.
Social networking uses the same principle.
Use them to build trust and relationships, not to blatantly promote yourself every time you open your mouth (er…keyboard).
But as an example – you can and should use them to link to blog posts or articles your followers would benefit from.
Plus you can link to your website or blog in the profiles you can set up on each site. That’s the smart way to get more traffic to your site.
Don’t use them to tell people what you had for lunch, because they really don’t give a crap, but do use it to let your personality and your knowledge shine through. After all…people like to buy from people they like and trust.
Regularly give and ultimately…you’ll receive.
So pick the sites that include your target market and start building relationships by interacting with them.
Treat them just like you would if you’re face to face with them at a networking event and don’t be afraid link to your blog posts or landing pages. Just do it sparingly, and when it will benefit your audience the most.
There are a ton of topics I could write about regarding all the different sites and how to fully take advantage of them, but I just wanted to give you one simple idea you can use immediately.
Plus, there are many good books written on social networking and media, even ones written specifically for each site. All you have to do is visit Amazon or your local bookstore.
I’d like to hear your thoughts…
If you’ve always wanted to take advantage of email marketing to get your message out to your prospects, easily and affordably, or you want to learn about my direct response web copywriting services,
e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140.
And if you need offline direct response marketing copy and advice, go to www.crestviewmarketing.com
To your website’s success!
Merrill Clark
Website and Direct Response Copywriter
