Harnessing Social Networks to Boost Sales – Part II

0 comments

Posted on 29th April 2010 by admin in social networks

, ,



If you are not sure which social networking sites you should target as a newbie, you can use Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to begin with, as all these sites are creating quite a buzz on the web.

To make the most of your advertising campaign on these sites, you should have a fair idea of what to do and how to do the things the right way. So, here are some tips that will help you get started.

Facebook

* You can use some applications to increase the functionality of your fan page on Facebook, which will get more people interested in your offerings and bring them to your site. Though installing such applications may be somewhat tricky for unfamiliar users as compared to creating your personal profile page, it’s worth the effort.

* You can use Social RSS to import a maximum of five different RSS feeds from anywhere on the World Wide Web and share the same with your Facebook fans. You can import news relevant to your niche, your company blog, your tweets about special offers, discounts etc, or anything else that may be of interest to your fans. You may even check out RSS Graffiti that allows you to pull the RSS feed of your choice automatically, complete with links and images, which you can show on your wall.

* You can also build a trusting bond with your users by engaging them in polls from time to time, which consist of new questions, to check the response. The YouTube application is another great way of sharing your video content with your fans, and entice them to visit your site and make purchases.

* Another great way of bringing some fun element into your interaction with your users is to use Facebook Markup Language or FBML, which is the coding language of Facebook that can help you to create your own customized tabs, thereby helping your users. You can even customize your landing page to let new users stumble upon it, which in turn will increase your chances of converting these guests into your fans and potential customers.

MySpace

* An impressive profile page on MySpace can help you to build brand recognition and advertise your offerings effectively on the web. To begin with, you should set up a page, add features like videos etc, and start making friends. The more like-minded people you can connect with, the more chances your business has for succeeding.

* You can also use the MySpace blog, as well as bulletin and comment functions for promoting your business.

* Joining MySpace groups that are relevant to your industry can help you to promote your business. However, after joining your chosen groups, you should be an active participant in them and keep posting relevant content, thereby getting involved in the conversation. You may even create your own group and start a conversation on MySpace.

Twitter

* Since you can’t advertise within Twitter unlike Facebook, you need to engage your audience to make your marketing efforts bear fruit. Twitter can help you to build your personal brand, as you can establish yourself as a sociable person on this platform who is connected and show how approachable you are.

* You can also invite people to share their feedback on your offerings. Such collective feedback can offer you fodder for your future projects or offer an insight into how to better or fine-tune your products and/or services.

* You can network with other like-minded people, especially those belonging to the same niche, on the socializing platform of Twitter. This way, you can create deeper and consistent relationships, which in turn may be used later for peer recommendations or testimonials, all of which will help you to increase your credentials and entice new customers.

Some Twitter applications worth a try are:

* TwitterFeed that you can use to feed your Twitter account directly with any RSS feed of your choice. This completely automated application supports several feeds and you can use the same to customize options like link tracking, custom text inserts (that you can use to add your company name or a hashtag to every tweet), refresh rate (that helps you to check new posts), etc.

* To enjoy tweeting on the go, you can use popular iPhone applications like TweetDeck and Tweetie, Twidroid (a popular Android app), Pocketwit or TinyTwitter (ideal for Windows Mobile users).

* If you want to let Twitter users know about your business offerings in quick time, TweetMeme can help as you can use it to add HTML embeddable buttons into your product pages, content, email newsletters etc.

Thus, by using these social networking sites and the aforesaid apps, you can network effectively and even enhance the appeal of your website by adding some social media spice to it. So, what are you waiting for? Go out and use these effective platforms to get the word out about your offerings.

By: Michelle Crossley

About the Author:



Create a video blog…instantly.

Social Networks – Strategies For Growth

0 comments

Posted on 2nd April 2010 by admin in social networks

, ,



In today’s marketplace, I believe that it is imperative that every business needs to be part of a social network. The main purpose for businesses to be in the social networks should be growing their business. Whether you are service oriented or product oriented, a social network can facilitate the means to gain an audience. (contacts or connections) It will also provide traffic to your home page. The traffic to your home page will provide you with the growth (revenue) for your business.

Using the internet and the various networks you can gain a very large group of businesses or individuals who are interested in what you are doing. The key to having the contacts is this, most networks display what your connections are receiving from others on the network. If I have 300 contacts on the network and every one of my connections have 200 contacts. My audience can blossom from the 300 listeners to 600,000 listeners, with just one post of my daily or weekly activity.

With this strategy to place your product or service in a network, businesses need to consider having an individual or several individuals who understands how this delivery system can benefit your business and use it as a means to increase your revenue.

There is also the possibility for businesses new to this method of obtaining purchasers or clients, who do not have anyone on staff who is able to perform this function of placing vital information in the various networks. They also have the option of hiring a “social staff” to place the information into each distinctive social network. Owners should consider every option prior to beginning using the option of social networks.

By: L M Shepherd

About the Author:



social networks

Social Networking, The Pros and Cons of Social Networks

0 comments

Posted on 27th April 2009 by admin in social networks

, ,



Social Networking has become increasingly popular nowadays as there are a lot of sites that offer this service. MySpace and Friendster are two of the most popular sites that aim to build communities of people who share common interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

THE PROS

A social networking site is like a virtual meeting place where people can hang out and discuss different topics. Anything under the sun, in fact. Some use these networking sites to promote their blogs, to post bulletins and updates or to use them as a bridge to a future love interest.

These are just a few of the reasons why social networking is getting a lot of attention lately — it makes life more exciting for many people.

THE CONS

However, it would be best to make sure that safety and security are the topmost concerns of the social networking site that you currently use. This is because social networking sites require or give you the option to provide personal information such as your name, location, and email address. Unfortunately some people can take this as an opportunity for identity theft. They can copy your information and pretend to be “you” when engaging in illegal activities. Bad news! So be cautious with what you enter into an online networking site.

You could fall into the trap of someone who pretends to be somebody else. For example, they might offer you a job or want to meet up with you just to get your money. This can lead to cyberstalking, where the stalker uses electronic media such as the Internet to pursue or harass you.

THE CONCLUSION

So take your time and be careful in choosing who to trust so you can hopefully avoid this sort of unpleasant thing happening to you. Apart from that, social networking is great thing.

By: Gary Harvey

About the Author:
If you found this article helpful, you might appreciate my FREE report called “GET TO THE MONEY FASTER“. Get it now at http://eprofitnews.org

Article by Gary Harvey of http://FindHotMarkets.com the Internet’s BIGGEST LIST of ways to find hot niches, best selling products and hot markets.



Caffeinated Content

Harnessing Social Networks to Boost Sales – Part I

0 comments

Posted on 17th February 2009 by admin in social networks

, ,



Till a few years ago, marketing meant spending a deluge of money on a top notch advertising campaign, something which only big companies could afford. Then came the internet that changed everything with the concept of online marketing. Again, big companies with fat coffers and attractive websites scored the goal, which small entrepreneurs could hardly afford. However, a new revolution surfaced in the recent years with the arrival of social networking. Money was no longer the major concern as anybody and everybody could enjoy the benefits of social networking. Connecting with people and getting your message across was never so easy. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc provide you with instant connectivity and the power to reach out to thousands of people in no time at all.

Unlike the monologues of traditional advertising campaigns where businesses used to bombard customers with their message, social networking paves the path of multiple conversations. You can use the same to boost your sales as these platforms help in:

Communicating with your prospective and existing buyers: You can create a direct channel to connect with your present customers’ base and woo the prospective ones. Let them know about special deals, discount offers, end-of-season sales etc before others get to know about the same. Such an act will build trust and help you to forge a strong business relationship with your clients, resulting in augmented sales figures.

Listening to your customers: Encourage your customers to speak and act on what they have to share. If they praise some of your offerings, show a proactive approach by asking their suggestions for bettering the same. On the other hand, if they criticize a specific product or service, ask them how the same has failed to match their expectations so that you can set things right. Remember – participation is the key to effective social networking campaigns. So, make people feel important by seeking their opinion and act on their feedback to prove that you value their judgmental power.

Encouraging people to publicize your offerings: Word-of-the-mouth publicity helps a lot in getting the word out about your offerings. It adds to the credibility factor too as common people and not someone associated with the business is praising the products or services. So, to increase your sales, you should encourage your fan base or people in your contact list to spread the word. You may even offer some freebies or special deals for people who can successfully promote your offerings on the web.

If you are now wondering how you can get started with your social networking campaign, these steps can help:

* Create an account for yourself as an individual on some social networking sites

* You may create another profile for your business

* Add people to your friend list

* Expand your friend list. Add friends of friends, people from your industry or people interested in the kind of products or services you deal with.

* Make your business page informative and interesting

* Create a group about your business. Invite people to join the group. The more the members, the better will be your reach. Options like Become a Fan in Facebook enables a user to express his/her liking for your product or service. It creates a fan base, which in turn can act as your potential customer base. What’s more, new users also get drawn in through these existing fans.

* Include blogs in your group. Fill it with all the latest updates and activities regarding your business. Add a personal touch so that your viewers feel more at home. Ask for reviews of your products or services from existing customers. This way, you can get assess to the mood of people, and have an insight into what works well and what doesn’t. Avoid sending bulk emails as it would lead to spamming.

As in any business marketing, you need to concentrate on a few basic things in your social networking campaign to make your business flourish:

Identify the target market: Conduct a thorough research into your business area and finalize on your target area. Identify your potential customers and try to reach them instead of taking your products and services to everyone.

Keep track of the changes in the market: You must be aware of the present market trends. You need to have knowledge about everything that may affect your business. A creative mind and smart innovation will give you the edge over your competitors.

Act on time: It’s a cat and mouse game. The faster you reach out to the people, the better it is for your business.

Have an open mind: Prospective and existing customers can often help you see something that you have either ignored or missed. So, it pays to have an open mind, listen to the people and act upon their feedback or suggestions. Remember – the willingness and agility to learn and interact effectively with people is the essence of social networking.

Though any one can create a social networking page, you need to identify the ones that can offer maximum leverage to your business. If you want to know more, stay glued to this place.

By: Michelle Crossley

About the Author:



social networks

Utilizing Social Networks For Business

0 comments

Posted on 26th December 2008 by admin in social networks

, ,



Social networks have become increasingly popular in the past few years. From car collectors to book lovers, there seems to be a network out there for everyone. That said, social networks present a prime opportunity for businesses of all sizes to reach targeted audiences, while saving money and increasing their bottom line through increased publicity.

Social network marketing is marketing that utilizes previously established social networks as avenues to generate awareness about a given company, politician or even a social issue. These platforms are also often used to inform clients and customers about sales, product launches and other company news. Many networks enable various types of posts including digital photos and video clips, which enables business to be creative and explore various methods of promotion.

Although traditional advertising can be effective, advertising and marketing campaigns can be quite expensive. Utilizing social networks for marketing and advertising purposes present several benefits for small- to medium-size businesses that may not have the funds available to execute expensive publicity campaigns. The amount of time spent on the campaign is also significantly reduced due to the fact that other than periodic updates, most of the work is already finished for you given that the platform (the social network of your choice) has already been established and word of your company will be spread by hundreds, thousands and sometimes even millions of your dedicated readers or site visitors, often referred to as fans or followers.

At the end of the day, most people like to get things for free, and detest when someone is obviously trying to sell them something. By marketing through social networks, your company can offer your clients and customers and potential clients and customers something for free (beneficial information of some sort) without being too “sales-pitchy.” Chances are, your visitors will return time and time again to where they found critical information, which will help your business build a lasting relationship with clients, customers and other key stakeholders prior to even conducting business with them. Due to the established relationship, when the time comes for that person or business to purchase products or services that your company supplies, they will most likely come to your business to do so.

If you still do not see the benefit of social networking for businesses, think of it this way: if you do not choose to advertise and market your business in this fashion, your competition surely will. Why miss the opportunity to grow your business in a cost-effective manner?

By: Mariah Brown

About the Author:
J. Mariah Brown is the owner and editor-in-chief of Writings by Design, a comprehensive business writings service company. To learn more about social networking for business or to speak with a representative about establishing a strong online presence for your company, call Writings by Design at 866.937.2361, email us at inquiry@writingsbydesign.com or fill out the inquiry form at http://www.writingsbydesign.com/contact_us.



Caffeinated Content

Health Social Networks

0 comments

Posted on 3rd June 2008 by admin in social networks

, ,



Health social networks are not extremely numerous, but are very helpful for those seeking to gain knowledge that their doctor may not be able to offer. Either time constraints or even lack of the newest information sometimes prevents your doctor from being able to fill you in on the details.

Checking out a health social network in the waiting period of a test or just to find out more is such a blessing in this age of the Internet. Searching for specifics is often difficult. The time taken while sorting through the masses of results given when trying to locate helpful sites on, for instance, cancer, can be overwhelming. Going to a interactive social networking site focused health and wellness issues generally will gain far greater and more case specific search results.

While doing searches for these health related social networks, I noticed that they were actually few and far between with most being forum style set ups. These are useful as they allow interaction, but are also a bit limited and sometimes difficult to sort through a 1000 plus thread post topic. Which member of the forum posted the best information and will we then need to read through all 1000 plus posts to find our answer?

There were only a few health social networks that really stood out. One being Trusera. A recent event has left them in need of partners, but they will be alive and well until at least late April, 2009. Trusera is a true health related, topic oriented, information filled social network. Interacting with like members who are either going through or have been where others are now in their health challenges. Remaining anonymous is easy or you can choose to be as open as you wish while connecting in a social setting to find answers to your health questions or to offer up a health related experience of your own. Getting practical answers and insight from others just like yourself during stressful times is calming.

The power of having been there is incredible to someone who is currently “going through” a health related situation. The site for breast cancer that I found is a forum based interaction site to gain knowledge of side effects, get answers to your testing questions, treatment choices, and research information related specifically to breast cancer issues. BreastCancer.org comes complete with support and community connections.

WebMD is probably the most well known social type health network for not only finding and connecting with other people like you, but for the wealth of health related information at their fingertips. From blogs to message boards to being able to ask the experts, this health stockpile has it all covered. Discover links to other health issue sites, meet a multitude of individuals from all over the Internet, and get a peace of mind that only detailed knowledge can bring. WebMD has headline news, polls, a pill identifier, locate a doctor or hospital in your area, or browse through the health centers topic list to find the answers you are looking for.

Google Health, while not exactly a health social network is an outstanding resource for communicating your total health information to your newest doctor or at an emergency room visit to keep the physician aware of what treatments you are getting or have received in the past. This awareness is paramount especially if you are taking medication. Google Health allows it’s users to input securely their medical information from every individual hospital, doctor, or medical center, keeping all in one place to ensure the whole of it all gets to the eyes of each health care provider you encounter. A system like this absolutely will stop medication conflicts if filled in correctly and could head off problems before they can begin. Google Health puts you in charge of your health information safely, securely, and best of all it is free.

Locating other health social networks, forums, and information is easy when you know which search engine to use. Google has topic specific search engines as a starting point, but I found MedStory. A health information search engine currently in Beta testing. If you need more avenues than mentioned here, check into MedStory for more.

By: Stephanie Haile

About the Author:
Find out more about Health and living a smart lifestyle @ http://OneStarHealth.com

Listen into our Blogs and Social Networks online radio show for more on locating great Blogs and Social Networks and Social Network Marketing information.

http://www.BlogsAndSocialNetworks.info

Stephanie Haile AKA Wavecritter Google Me :)



Caffeinated Content

Social Networks – Logos and Icons

0 comments

Posted on 1st May 2008 by admin in social networks

, ,



For many years in my profession, I have worked for many firms. Each firm is uniquely known for their service to the community at large.

Each of these firms has a logo or icon on their drawings that separate each from their competitors. Each logo or icon provides those in the construction industry a clear understanding of the firm of this project type.

For firms and businesses to obtain a recognizable “logo or icon”, they must have projects under construction in the community. Most firms have a sign that they place at the project site to tell those who walk or drive by, that this is another of their projects. The signage that is at the project site, typically has the companies logo and contact information for the firm.

Since the down turn in the economy, it is very difficult to have the number of projects needed to have your logo in the eye of the general population.

This economic down turn should signal those in the construction industry to use a different method of placing their service in the public eye. Using a social network is the easiest way to get your service in the users internet search. Placing your logo into your profile provides an easy way, to create in the world wide web a consistent icon for those who find you through their search for your service.

I would really like to have my logo or icon to be a recognized logo, just as the logos for Pepsi Cola, Google, Facebook or Yahoo are easily noted in my search of information on the net.

By: L M Shepherd

About the Author:



social networks

Maximize Social Reach – Save Time by Integrating Social Networks

0 comments

Posted on 11th April 2008 by admin in social networks

, ,



The last few years have seen a social media revolution. Smart businesses jumped on the bandwagon and businesses that were slow to react got left in the collective dust of tweets, feeds, posts, and status updates. Now, with so many social networks available, the hardest decision for businesses to make is not whether to create a profile on a social network, but which one to spend time developing? The answer becomes a lot simpler with the use of some helpful plug-ins and add-on’s that let businesses update multiple social networks at the same time.

As we speak, companies like Status.net are working on new platforms that will enable users to blast information across all social networks from the service of their choice. This is the natural next step for the social web 3.0. Right now, if marketers want to create a business presence on Twitter, but feel silly visiting a new site just to “tweet” in 140 characters or less, they can link up their businesses Facebook fan page to Twitter and perform two updates in half the time. Visit Facebook.com/Twitter for instructions on how to do this.

This is jus the tip of the integration iceberg. Free software such as Yoono, PingFm, Hellotxt and AOL’s Lifestream (formerly Socialthing), allow users to update many of their social networks: MySpace, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and more, all at one time, from one simple desktop platform or sidebar. Before deciding which service to register with, users should check to see which social media sites each feature is compatible with. Yoono’s collapsible sidebar feature (available as a Firefox add-on) conveniently makes it possible to view status feeds and update one or multiple social networks while the user is viewing something completely different on their browser’s page. Switching between multiple profile options in the browser’s search bar takes some getting used to, but using an add-on like this is far superior to bookmarking social sites. Aggregation is probably the more accurate term for these services, since consolidation of all social tasks is the ultimate goal, rather than just the connection of two or more sites.

Gone are the days of opening up multiple tabs, then copying and pasting information from one status field to the next. Social networking aggregation allows businesses to work smarter and actually post more information across more channels than ever before. However, this means more responsibility and thought should go into each post since the damage of an unprofessional post will be multiplied numerous times over. With real-time search set to become a major player in the areas of customer service, SEO, and corporate reputation, these types of social aggregators are great news for businesses. Not only will it make it simpler to broadcast news across the social web, but it will challenge the social networks to offer more services and further integration to improve user experience.

Many of these services are also available for smart phones. For the best Blackberry and Android aggregation apps, Google “Seesmic” the company that developed some of the best third-party Twitter applications ever made. They just acquired the aforementioned PingFm, so stay tuned for further social connectivity for mobile in the very near future. Businesses should research what each service has to offer, take a few programs for a test drive and find the software that suits their social media needs. Here are two places to start: Yoono, PingFm. The best part is, right now, since social aggregation is still in the development stages, every service mentioned in this article is free.

Businesses cannot afford to stay out of the social game any longer. Once a social networking presence is established, connectivity and aggregation are the keys to managing social reach and staying ahead of the competition.

By: Brendan Blowers

About the Author:
Brendan Blowers is the marketing director for http://www.stadriemblems.com, a company with over 30 yrs of experience in the custom embroidery industry.



Create a video blog…instantly.

The Miracle of Social Networks

0 comments

Posted on 14th January 2008 by admin in social networks

, ,



I know that almost everyone, that owns a computer, has heard of the social networking giants. Namely they are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube. What made these sites so big and why are people interested in being a part of such sites? The answer lies in basic human nature. Symbolic interactionism is really what we are talking about here. This simply means that people connect on social sites due to the fact that they have a preempted conception that they could benefit. Now what we are talking about today is not a a tangible benefit. It seems to be more a psychological. Basically, people want to feel as if other people really care what they are doing on a day by day basis. Others may have found that physical interaction is rather difficult. Now, with the developments of social sites, it provides a median for people to interact with people like never before.

The main concept of these social communities is to connect people. I know that not everyone connects with people all over the world, but there are some that do. For that reason social communities are thriving. People that may not can afford an international long distance bill, now can communicate via social networks. I would really have to say, the internet has came a long way since its origin. How many people could have ever guesses or conceived the idea of social networks being such giants. I would like to point out that Alexia has ranked Facebook second in the world. This system ranks website via their popularity. Who knows where the next internet boom is going to happen?

By: Jessie Casey

About the Author:
This blog article is from http://www.ourratpack.com/blog. Connecting the world one friend at a time.



Caffeinated Content