The following guest post is brought to us by the Internet Marketing Center, www.internetmarketing.com
Online social networking is becoming a necessity for business owners — but where should you start? If you figure out how much time you have to devote to it, where your strengths lie, and which social media you enjoy using the most — you can build the presence of your online business and have a little fun in the process.
Which of the following options fits you best?
1. I can set aside time at least once a week to work on Web 2.0 AND I like writing and creating interesting and informative copy.
2. I can set aside time a few times a week to work on Web 2.0 BUT I’m uncomfortable and uninspired as a writer.
3. I can spend time every day finding out what other people are saying about my product, and answering questions, making suggestions, and discussing it.
4. I can only set aside time every now and then, not on a regular basis.
Your Best Social Media Fit:
Option 1: Start a blog.
Blogging will work for you if you’re happy to post regularly — at least once a week. If you host your blog on your website, your frequent additions of keyword-rich content will give your site a real boost in the search engine rankings.
Options 2 or 3: Contribute to forums, review sites and blogs, and social networking and Q&A sites.
If you’d rather answer questions than come up with story ideas, there are tons of places online where you can find your market hanging out and chatting. Your goal is to find those places, and join in the discussion. Google Alerts is a great way to keep on top of what people are talking about in your industry and where they’re doing it. In addition, social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn let you search on your keywords to find groups and individuals that share your interests.
Once you’ve found your best potential customers, you can start building a reputation by contributing short, helpful posts (not sales pitches). Your signature file will link back to your site, sending both human traffic and search engine bots your way.
Options 2 or 4: Give media sharing a try.
Media sharing gives you the opportunity to put out valuable content and open up online conversations — without having to be connected to the Web 24/7 to monitor the response. Whether you’re putting up a video, a podcast, or an audio clip, you’ll need time to create it and build a landing page on your site.
Once that’s done, however, this strategy doesn’t require any work to maintain… until you free up some more time to create new media!
Remember, you don’t have to be everywhere to create an effective, sustainable Web 2.0 presence. The key is to get involved in the areas where your own skill set and interests fit best… and then dig deeper wherever and whenever you discover your market hanging out.
