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Social Network Marketing Is For Everyone!
Everybody's talking about social network marketing. Facebook, twitter, myspace and others social networks are changing the way businesses connect with their customers. There's a revolution going on online and you probably don't want to be left behind. I've heard the internet described as a gold rush, and I like and believe that analogy. There's lots of gold (money) to be made online... some easy money and some you have to really work for. As more people see and hear about the online opportunities it will get crowded and harder to make money. (Just try to find an available domain name if you don't believe me!) If you're an internet entrepreneur, you'll need to think carefully about where to stake your claim. (I mean the niche that you build your website or publish your blog about.) Does your business serve a well-defined niche market? Remember that the best niches solve problems for people. The problems can be obvious ones or more subtle and complicated ones. But that's where the real opportunity lies... in providing the value (or solutions) for people. Help someone out and they'll be your fan forever! Well, there's a few things to think about before you begin your social network marketing campaign. Why? Well, because of the way the internet works. Everything you do online is public, and forever. There's no “delete” button if you blow it. And I've seen people say things on twitter that make me cringe! The social network marketing secret I'd like to share is simple.. Patience and Persistance. Remember what Veruca Salt sang in the original Willy Wonka movie? "I want it now!" Well, building business credibility on a social network doesn't work like that. (You remember what happened to her, don't you?) When you learned to swim, you stayed in the shallow end awhile, right? Do the same now. Don't get 10,000 followers in a week and then start spamming them with constant ads. Maybe it would work for you, but why take a chance and have to start over. Instead, start connecting and building genuine relationships with a few people. Notice I said “people”, not customers. That's the “patience” part of social network marketing. The “persistance” part is this... you're online to build your business, It will take time. Don't quit if you don't get instant cashola. Keep at it, refining what you're doing until you get the results you want. You'll have to share freely at first before you (and what you offer) will be believable and considered valuable. That's what it takes to make someone want to listen to you. Only then will people be ready to trust you. And only then will you have the foundation for stating a business relationship online with someone. You'll want to learn some specialized skills. PPC, SEO, ROI, MWR. Do these sound like alphabet soup? A year ago, I said “Yes,” too! There's so much new stuff to learn about working online. And it changes all the time. A serious online entrepreneur (you are serious, aren't you?) knows that their skills and systems need to be updated, honed, tweaked and adapted all the time. On the internet the old saying, "The Only Constant Is Change," is absolute truth! Embrace it, get used to it, and use it to your advantage. The trick is to learn to do your social network marketing skillfully and slyly. I only say 'slyly' because I've been pitched-to a lot on twitter, and am pretty sick of it. This is relationship building, and unless I initiate the conversation with some social media marketing 'guru' for a business reason, I don't want to see a 'pitch-page' as a first contact. Woo me, wine me, dine me. Maybe then we'll deal. Social network marketing is a “game” that anyone can play. There's no glass ceiling online, no good-old-boys network. It's a level playing field for everyone! There's a lot of great people that need what you are offering. Connect and share. Then you'll have earned your reward. Back from Social Network Marketing to Small Business Marketing Strategy
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