3 Simple Tips For Using Social Networking to Grow Your Small Business

By Bruce Carlson

Social networking is coming of age.

And people are using it for everything from getting a job...to finding long lost classmates and friends...to sharing about the newest high-tech toys...to finding a mate.

But if you own a small business, you probably want to use it for something more -- something more closely aligned with your business goals.

Like getting new customers or clients.

Here are 3 simple tips for growing your small business using social networking:

1) Seek out people whose interests fall into areas served by your business...and converse with them.

You first need to find people who might be prospective customers for what you are offering.

And you start by using the search tools provided by the social networking site (or even tools provided by third parties) to find groups and conversations related to the areas your business serves.

Then you simply start a conversation with those people.

Just a conversation!

No pitch. No selling.

Just talk to people and listen to what they have to say.

Eventually, your expertise and *the person you are* will attract the right people -- people who want to do business with you.

But be patient. It won't happen instantly!

2) Make your message unique, clear, and succinct.

When telling others what you do, make your message laser targeted, crystal clear, and as short as you possibly can without diluting it.

Speak first of a specific benefit you offer and can deliver to your idealcustomer or client.

For example, if you're a coach or counselor, then you would want to craft a very short, unique message about how you help make peoples' lives better.

You might call this an "elevator speech in micro form".

But don't make your message about helping just any old person.

Craft your message so it aims directly and specifically at the people whom you most enjoy working with and helping.

Start by getting a really good idea of who these people are and what they're like. Get as much info about them as you can possibly find through your research.

You want info like age, level of education, income level, marital status, political affiliation, outside interests, etc.

In other words, a composite picture of the person you most enjoy doing business with.

Once you have that picture in your mind, then create your message in full long form. The more laser targeted you can be towards your ideal customer, the better.

Then distill your message down to as few words as possible.

Once you have it, include it on all your social networking site profiles, if at all possible.

3) Seek first to help. Become a facilitator.

Social networking is about sharing information. So pass on as much helpful information to people as you can.

Since you are an expert in your business niche, this is a great opportunity to provide information for people based on what you know and love.

Once you are seen as an expert, your status goes WAY up in the eyes of people.

Suddenly, you're no longer JUST a "seller" of goods or services!

You're now a bonafide expert who provides helpful information.

And later, when people are trying to decide who to hire or who to buy from, your name will come to mind.

What's more, (and ironically), you can even raise your prices once you have firmly established yourself as a "go-to" person in your field!

Why?

Because your value has now been enhanced.

And even if you don't want to raise your prices, you can still use your expert status to remind people of what a good deal they're getting.

In a nice way, of course...

Social networking is rapidly becoming a "mainstream" way for people to meet and speak with each other.

The potential for small business owners is huge, since this is an opportunity to learn more about what it is your customers and clients really want so you can better serve them.

So jump in with both feet and take advantage of the great tools the Web offers for reaching out to your people.

Oh, and did I mention it's fun?

Bruce Carlson is an eBusiness consultant who specializes in helping growth-minded, ambitious entrepreneurs put the mammoth profit power of the Internet to work for their small to medium-sized businesses. Be sure to visit Bruce's website and read his highly informative and acclaimed blog, and sign up for his newsletter The Small Business Online Marketing Strategy Report.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Carlson

Labels: Social Networking

Twitter - 6 Easy Ways to Use it to Make Friends and Increase Traffic

Have you heard of Twitter? It seems like there are new ways to promote your business online and Twitter is a very good one. It is one of these cool social network ways of staying in touch with people.

In this article let's talk about 6 ways you can easily use Twitter to make friends and more money!

1. First and foremost Twitter is a great way to stay connected with people who are following you and who you are following. You do this by posting short messages called "tweets.

This has become known as micro blogging because you are limited to 140 characters in your messages. The key is to build up a large list of followers. You can do this at various sites like Twellow.com and then start following people who have similar interests to yours.

2. Make yourself stand out by offering things that are unique. I like to offer updates about what I am blogging on. Avoid selling all of the time and offer useful content and your followers will appreciate it.

3. You have to get your Twitter link out where people can find you. This means adding it to your email sig file, in forum posts, on your website, on your blog sidebar, in article resource boxes, and so on. People will follow you if you have some credibility - which you should have - doing it this way.

4. Be consistent when posting new updates, or tweets. If you have something to say do it. This is like posting in your blog. If you let in stagnate you will lose your effectiveness.

5. Social networking works because you are part of a community. Twitter is no different. If you are an asset to your followers people will want to see what you are up to. You can include a link in your Tweets to anything you want by creating a TinyURL.

6. Understand all of the ways you can benefit from Twitter. For example, just by posting what you are up to in your internet business, you can find new joint venture partners. Another way to benefit is outsourcing things you need done by posting a tweet for work such as blog articles, graphics, website design, and so on.

These are 6 easy ways to use Twitter to make new friends and make more money by attracting traffic. Because it is here to stay, and the ways to use it will only increase, this is something you are going to want to learn more about.

Jeff Schuman invites you to visit his make money online website for 20 ways to make $100 a day online, JV With Jeff free training, and Hands Off Article Marketing. Please click here now: http://www.Team-Schuman.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tplahav

Labels: increase traffic, internet home business, Social Networking, twitter

Social media marketing is a new, free and very powerful tool and it can serve you very well when you are searching for free internet marketing methods to promote your internet home business online.

Social media sites are called social for a good reason. This is a place for people from all over the world find and connect with other people with same interests and hobbies, and form groups online, build friendships, have new relationships and share their favorites interests and ideas.

It was only natural for these people to start and use these groups, friendships and new relationships to promote their online businesses. When you have online friends, you can reach a larger crowd of people, all are potential customers, and this is how the social media marketing or social networking was born.

So how easy it is to use social bookmarking for internet marketing purpose?

Step 1 - Join some of the leading and popular social media marketing sites. Websites such as Digg, Mixx, StumbleUpon and more are very popular social media sites. Social bookmarking a page in those site and some other sites can be indexed very quickly by the search engines, this is very good if you want the search engine to notice you fast and index you web pages quicker.

This tactic is very good, When you need to drive traffic to a new website and have no money to invest in advertising.

Step 2 - Complete you profile. If you want to promote your internet home business using social media sites and social networking, try to give as much details as you can. When you are online do not hide behind a screen name, if you are here for business let the people know a little about you, sign in with your real name, write a few detail about yourself and on your home business. At the end give a link back to you website and a few of your mostly recommended products.

Step 3 - After you complete your profile is time to socialize. Social networking is all about making new friends, finding people with the same interests as yours, joining groups and building relationships.

These friends are important for your business and they will help you in time to promote your home business, but you will have to help them too.

Step 4 - Now it is time to start the social networking. Social bookmarking is the word. You bookmark you website or blog, and you let people know about it. You also have to bookmark other people websites and blogs, and vote for your friend's bookmarks.

When in social media marketing you need to give to others if you want them to give back to you, this is when you get the best results.

Step 5 - Ask your friends to vote for your favorite links and offer to do the same for them. From this point the traffic to your website will only grow and you get it all for free.

If you join the top leading social media sites, you will get more traffic, as the website popularity grow you will get more votes, your bookmark get indexed faster and this is also counts as a backlink from some of those sites.

Join Tanny Lahav at http://www.Learn2Earn2.com and learn how to use different internet business ideas such as social networking to promote your internet home business.

Labels: how to use social media sites, social bookmarking, social marketing, social media marketing, social media sites, Social Networking