Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [230]
Ideally, your username is related to the business or your product (think keywords) so that people can easily associate your account with the company. If you are more interested in personal branding, then some form of your name can be used, though it will be difficult to secure most names unless you have some unusual spelling or a very unique name.
Start by securing your username at the more well-known and prolific social-media sites. Then move on and check into those that are listed to see whether any are niche social-media sites pertaining to your industry. It is worth the time to check into these services and see what they offer and how it might fit into your social-media marketing mix. Sometimes a more focused and targeted approach can yield good results more quickly.
Move on to completing your profile at these services. For some social-media sites, the more you present a complete profile, the better exposure you will have to the network. For sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, or discussion forums, this is especially effective. The profile is where you are able to list websites and blogs as live links to your business. Anyone who sees your profile will be able to follow those links and learn about your company.
Step 2: Start Slowly
After creating a profile, start listening. Especially with discussion forums, this is the easy part. You won’t go wrong by listening first. This is also where setting up the alerts in Google News or Google Blogs (as shown in Chapter 4) can help you find other websites or bloggers who are talking about you, your company, or your products. If they are complimentary, follow up and thank them. If not, listen first. Arguing on the Internet is rarely successful.
While you are listening, look for other friends or colleagues listed on these services, and connect with them. You’ll need to start building your networks in order to increase your visibility, and almost every service allows you to “friend,” “connect,” or “invite” others to be part of your network.
Once you feel confident enough to engage your audience with participation, the rules of social media are remarkably similar to the rules of dating. Marketers tend to be very over-active when approaching social media, thinking that this could be the magic potion to their lagging sales or a way to get some easy business. Unfortunately, social media is one of those areas where you not only get out of it what you invest in it, but you also have to be investing in the right areas and in the right ways.
No one likes to be on a date with a partner who talks all the time and hogs the conversation. People like to be able to share conversations, and when you can listen to others, you come across as caring and unselfish. Social media reacts this same way, because marketers who constantly talk and sell are a turn-off and rarely (if ever) effective.
One thing my mother taught me about dating is to be complimentary. People love to be complimented, so find areas in which to compliment bloggers whom you follow and read, compliment customers who leave a positive review, or thank someone on Twitter for posting a link to an article that you found helpful. You’ll be amazed how well people respond to compliments, and they will also pay more attention to you in the future.
The next bit of advice is one of those sayings that sound well enough but difficult in practice. Be engaging. In real life, we consider this as making eye contact, paying attention when the other person speaks, and being able to recall details of the conversation. The same applies to social media. Paying attention to what people say and remembering details of conversations, posts, and tweets shows that you are an active participant who appreciates the information that is