As long as the Internet maintains its dominance in the
business environment, social media will be an important relationship-building and sales-generating tool.
What is social media? It's any method on the Internet that allows
you to connect with, virtual meet, exchange ideas and connections,
respectfully disagree, or debate with individuals worldwide.
Most social media is free of charge, with some advanced tools
being available to members paying a nominal fee.
Social media is also called social networking, and it comes in many forms. The most-popular formats are:
BLOGS This initial entry to social media allows a business owner
to express his or her opinion about their profession, industry
attributes and flaws, and also share their expertise with clients
and prospects. Blogs encourage readers to interact through comments,
making online communication easy and effective 24 hours a day.
Blogs are linked as part of Web sites, and they are also created
through independent spaces such as Blogger.com and WordPress.com.
For business owners, linking a blog to a Web site creates a
more-credible space.
Blogging Tips:
- Communicate through your blog at least once weekly or more often
if possible.
- Advise readers about a range of topics, from newsworthy to
controversial. The latter is known for encouraging lots of comments
and link sharing.
- Add your personality within every post. Readers enjoy learning
about your beliefs and opinions and will do the same in their
comments.
The blog for this site is
www.SoloBusinessMarketing.com/blog.
Visit today, and join the conversation.
TWITTER
If you can share information about your new blog post, upcoming
teleseminar, what you read in the newspaper, or totally-outlandish
circumstance found on the Web in 140 characters or less, than
Twitter is a social media tool you'll appreciate.
Twitter, which is considered a micro-blogging application, allows
you to connect with (follow) people who, for your situation, provide
informative dialogue that you would not receive in another manner
and as quickly.
Once you subscribe to Twitter and begin searching for friends,
colleagues, and others whom you want to follow, others who are on
Twitter will begin following you. It's your decision to follow them
back or not, as reciprocation is appreciated but not mandatory. If a
new person you are following does not provide you with quality
information, it's acceptable to un-follow.
Twitter Tips:
- Subscribe with your name, business name, or specialty. It may be
wise to register your name on Twitter, as industry gurus who do not
often find that their name is taken (or hijacked) by an unknown
party.
- Provide your followers with quality postings, which are called
tweets. Include a link to the source information through one of the
many link shorteners available on the Web (TinyURL.com, bit.ly,
Ping.fm, etc.).
- Do not take un-following personally when someone stops following
you. People's needs and tastes change, and in time you'll find
yourself un-following individuals as well.
Subscribe to
Twitter. Then
follow Solo Business Marketing on Twitter
through this link.
Click here for page two to learn more about social media.
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