Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

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This is how you filp Social Networking On Its Head.

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When someone says social networking what are they talking about.  It is not a technical term really.  Humans have been doing social networking for 1000’s of years.  What types of social networking do most small businesses do today? Here is a list of a few to get you started:
Business Network International (BNI), Local Chamber of Commerce, Moose Lodge, Knights of Columbus, United Way  , Rotary International and I am sure you could name many more.

Lately we have been hearing about all kinds of tools that people should be using to promote themselves in networking circles. Many of these we have talked about in the past on our site. Here is a list to name a few. LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and Twitter seem to be getting all the press these days.

I am going to use the original social network, the local bar or pub, to explain how these tools and organizations relate to one another and are very complementary. Originally people met at the local pub. This is where people got to know one another and made personal connections and all kinds of business deals. Things have not changed very much as far as getting to trust one another. You have to get to know someone to trust them. Read the rest of this entry »

To make any tool useful you have to begin with the end in mind. With your objective in hand social networking becomes a powerful tool to add to your marketing arsenal.  It is your goal, what you want to do with the social networking tools that drives the process. I want you to think about what you want to get out of your social network.

What do you think are some of your goals? Lets list a few out:

First, Branding your service or company.
These are tools we need to use it to accomplish all kinds of businesses objectives. Imagine having a pub filled with all of the people that you want to meet.  All you have to do is talk to them.  If you don’t show up they will never know who you are so it is important to have your profile completely filled out on whichever social networking tools you decide to use.

How much does Facebook cost? It is Free! Like most of the social networking tools they are provided to you at no monetary cost.  I think this is why people waste so much time with these tools.  They just play around with them instead of trying to accomplish something.

Second, Feedback and testimonials from your clients. You can get unsolicited and anonymous feedback that can be very valuable.  You can monitor what people are talking about, especially when they are talking about you.
I would rather have people bad mouth my business than not know that I exist. The opposite of being happy with your service is not being upset it is indifference. Getting negative feedback is extremely valuable.

Remember the radical changes in the airline business happen when a plane crashes.

Third getting the right person for the right job. You can find contractors and employees. You can do extended interviews of people this way.  See what it is like to communicate with them before you even let them know they are a candidate to be hired.