The number of social networks is growing fast. An average user probably uses more than one of the big social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, Delicious, Twitter or Digg on a daily basis. As a lot of traffic is generated on this type of sites, a lot of people will try to make a quick buck by spamming the networks. In this article we will look at how to advertise or market yourself, your product or service on a social network without being seen as a spammer. In this case, networks, interaction, trust and content is king.
Some things you have to take into account in order to succeed in your online marketing on social networks and communities.
Network
Make sure you connect to the right people, that is people you have some kind of connection to based on different features such as:
Real Life Friends
Geographic Location
Interest
Friends of Friends
Do not connect to people where you have no common ground, this will just look suspect and spammy. If someone has 10000 friends on Facebook I know for sure he/she is not connecting to each and everyone in his/her list on those features and that the reason for having 10000 friends is either for showing off or for spamming some product or service they offer.
The power of networks that the people you connect to and trust other connectors. It is impossible to connect to all potential customers, but it is better to connect to a network of people that in turn connect to other people. THAT is the power of the social network.
Trust
Trust is very important when it comes to social networks. Why should you even think about buying or listening to something if you do not trust the person who tries to convince you. Who do you trust? People tend to trust people they know, people who think like they do and people who people you trust trust. This is why building the correct network is essential to your opportunities to create a solid market value for whatever you are selling online. Do not overachieve! Focus on creating a network of people you trust, and trust you. They will in turn connect to people they trust. You then get a chain of trust and if you play your card right you will be able to sell better in this kind of environment as you have the trust-factor to build on.
Interaction
By interaction, we mean posting in guestbooks, messaging and answering messages you get in the networks. By interacting without always trying to sell, you will gain trust and if you gain trust, maybe the word will spread. As powerful a social network can be for business, as destructive can it be if you spam or play your cards wrong in the interaction. Within minutes, a lot of build up trust can have vanished.
Content
By adding content to your network (posting links, images, stories or good analysis) people will get a better picture of who you are, what you stand for and relate to you easier. This will make it easier for people to actually connect to you and trust you.
Conclusion
As a lot of other things, social networking is something that should be taken seriously and be built long-term and not for short-term gains. If you focus on Network, Trust, Interaction and Content and avoid spam to any cost, we believe that you will gain a lot in terms of marketing space online and in goodwill.
In order to utilize the traffic you will gain from this type of marketing, it is important that your front end architecture is up to date and focused on serving your goals maximising traffic and income.
Social Networking and Online Marketing
The number of social networks is growing fast. An average user probably uses more than one of the big social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, Delicious, Twitter or Digg on a daily basis. As a lot of traffic is generated on this type of sites, a lot of people will try to make a quick buck by spamming the networks. In this article we will look at how to advertise or market yourself, your product or service on a social network without being seen as a spammer. In this case, networks, interaction, trust and content is king.
Some things you have to take into account in order to succeed in your online marketing on social networks and communities.
Network
Make sure you connect to the right people, that is people you have some kind of connection to based on different features such as:
Do not connect to people where you have no common ground, this will just look suspect and spammy. If someone has 10000 friends on Facebook I know for sure he/she is not connecting to each and everyone in his/her list on those features and that the reason for having 10000 friends is either for showing off or for spamming some product or service they offer.
The power of networks that the people you connect to and trust other connectors. It is impossible to connect to all potential customers, but it is better to connect to a network of people that in turn connect to other people. THAT is the power of the social network.
Trust
Trust is very important when it comes to social networks. Why should you even think about buying or listening to something if you do not trust the person who tries to convince you. Who do you trust? People tend to trust people they know, people who think like they do and people who people you trust trust. This is why building the correct network is essential to your opportunities to create a solid market value for whatever you are selling online. Do not overachieve! Focus on creating a network of people you trust, and trust you. They will in turn connect to people they trust. You then get a chain of trust and if you play your card right you will be able to sell better in this kind of environment as you have the trust-factor to build on.
Interaction
By interaction, we mean posting in guestbooks, messaging and answering messages you get in the networks. By interacting without always trying to sell, you will gain trust and if you gain trust, maybe the word will spread. As powerful a social network can be for business, as destructive can it be if you spam or play your cards wrong in the interaction. Within minutes, a lot of build up trust can have vanished.
Content
By adding content to your network (posting links, images, stories or good analysis) people will get a better picture of who you are, what you stand for and relate to you easier. This will make it easier for people to actually connect to you and trust you.
Conclusion
As a lot of other things, social networking is something that should be taken seriously and be built long-term and not for short-term gains. If you focus on Network, Trust, Interaction and Content and avoid spam to any cost, we believe that you will gain a lot in terms of marketing space online and in goodwill.
In order to utilize the traffic you will gain from this type of marketing, it is important that your front end architecture is up to date and focused on serving your goals maximising traffic and income.
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