MySpace. Facebook. YouTube. LinkedIn. Blogs. Podcasting. Unless you’ve spent the last couple of years living in some cave, you’ve probably at least heard these terms before. But what you may not know is how to harness their power for your marketing.

And frankly, a lot of that is still up in the air. But thousands of savvy marketers are taking the time to use this new technology, and connecting to their market and each other in new, exciting ways.

So this time around, I’d like to give you a crash course in social networking.

Social Networking 101>

Don’t Sell. People hate advertising. And I’d say that part of the reason so many people are rushing to online social networks in the first place is to GET AWAY from advertising. Sure, these sites are free because they are paid for with online ads, but their users will happily ignore them, and continue clicking away and adding to their Friends lists.

That’s because they distrust advertisers. And that’s why they turn to their friends, colleagues and other people they trust to tell them what they should and shouldn’t buy. So instead of trying to sell them something, offer them something cool for free that they’ll want to share with all their friends while promoting your brand in the process.

For example, promoters of The Simpsons movie had a setup on MySpace that let users “Simpsonize” their user pictures, making them look as if they were drawn by Simpsons cartoonists. Nike, Chevy, and other large companies give away free wallpaper MySpacers can customize their pages with.

Now I know what you’re saying. “That’s fine for large corporations, but I’m a small business. What can I do?”

In short, a lot! You can create a video that showcases your product or service in some unique way, post it on YouTube, your website and blog, and watch it soar.

Are you an author with a published book? Create a MySpace or Facebook page just for your book! This is proving to be a great way to gain a readership and gather together fans of your work.

Remember that it takes time. You can’t put your profile on LinkedIn and expect your phone to start ringing off the hook immediately. It takes time and effort to create valuable connections with people, both online and off.

Go where your prospects are. If you’re an unsigned band, MySpace or Facebook may give you the shot you need, but if you’re a consultant to high-level executives at Fortune 500 companies, Ryze or LinkedIn might do a better job of finding prospects who would be interested in your services.

Know what you want. Ask yourself, “What are my goals?” “What results to I expect?” “Do I want to sell products, increase brand awareness, or just network?” “What results can reasonably be measured?” Asking yourself these questions now can save you a lot of time and headaches later.

Just keep in mind that there’s really no easy, direct way to measure your return on investment (ROI) like there is in direct marketing. You may get business six months from now because of someone you met who knows someone who knows someone who needs someone. That’s why you need patience to stick with it. And don’t give up on your other marketing programs.

Leverage all your usual marketing channels. To really maximize social networking’s effectiveness, get the word out the way you normally would. Posting a video of your latest workshop on YouTube is great, but using that site’s embedding feature to post the video on your blog or a dedicated page on your website, then announcing said postings to your list and with a press release, is even better.

Also, if you’re active on Ryze, LinkedIn, or Facebook, put your profile link on your business card, on the contact page of your website, and even your letterhead. The next time you’re at a flesh and blood networking function, ask the other attendees you meet if they are also on these sites. You’ll grow your network even faster, and have something else in common with those you meet.

Well, that’s it. 5 ways you can leverage the power of social networking for your business. I hope you find it helpful to you in your marketing.

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James Palmer
Freelance Direct Response Copywriter

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I think this is a really strong point to follow. It's true that now many people are weary of any advertising pitch. For example, most of us get TiVo to not only be able to record our favorite TV shows, but to have the ability to *skip through* the commercials. People are getting smarter and seeing past commercials or adverts that are dishonest.

If you rely on too much advertising online, it will show. And plus, many online users are savvy anyway, and tired of the old corporate way of marketing to people left and right with advertising.

You're welcome!

__________________
James Palmer
Freelance Direct Response Copywriter

Get a FREE report, "6 Copywriting Mistakes Online Marketers Make That Absolutely KILL Response" here:
http://www.rocketresponsecopy.com/newsletter.htm

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Thanks for sharing. I think you are absolutely correct when it comes to not selling. After many years in retails sales, everything from door-2-door to selling cars, one thing you can be on is that no one likes to be "Sold" anything.

People like to think that they made their own decisions. Even if they really did not. It provide us with a level of comfort and reassurance instead of fear. The more we fear a transaction the more likely we are not going to enjoy or partake of it.

We do so many things in our lives to avoid the sales pitch. we Tivo around commercials, we block ads, mass delete e-mails to avoid spammy junk, cringe when we get envelopes with a sale pitch. Heck even kids of the age of 4 or 5 know that we only go into stores to "just look".

There is an entire sociological mindset behind it.

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Excellent post!
Thanks for sharing with us
I have begun Social Networking a lot more too to build connections and network with people. I never heard of LinkedIn before, I am gonna have to check it out.

Thanks for sharing though, great post! And good points

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Thank you for posting this. I sure hope others read it and stop trying to sell me all the crap on the various social networks I'm on. Seems like they are flooded these days with people who only sell or push things, and never contribute or network.

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Really amazing post.
Although I would like to comment on the first point of "Don't Sell." It is true that people generally dislike advertising however I think they dislike advertising that is intrusive or doesn't pertain to them at all. Companies like facebook are now tailoring ads to each individual person so that the ads that are seen on the right hand side of the page or more relevant to each person based on what is listed in their profile and the network that they belong to. This type of advertising can be more relevant since individuals would be more likely interested to know about products, services and events that tailor to their specific interests.

You've got strong fronts there mate. And very easy to follow too. I do not doubt the efficacy of other social networking sites, but what worked well for me so far in extending my reach to teenagers is myspace, and for more mature audiences, facebook has been a very good asset in catching their attention and capturing their interest.

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MySpace. Facebook. YouTube. LinkedIn. Blogs. Podcasting. Do you know that there's a way to simplify your social marketing campaign to these sites yet increase its efficacy? Like making a video and submitting them to video submission and distribution sites with an automated process. Their technology allows your promotional message to be automatically submitted to the above mentioned sites and more. There are numerous video submission and distribution sites out that cater such services and you may want to take part in their viral marketing campaign.

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