The biggest online buzz in the last year or two has been the mainstreaming of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you have never used these applications; if you’re unsure just what social networking is all about and how it can benefit your business, then we’re here to help. In this article, I’ll explain how these sites can help you build your business brand, where to find the sites and what to do when you get there.
What is Social Networking?
Social networking as a concept is not a new phenomenon - in any business you stay in contact with your customers and with people in a position to refer customers to you. You provide them with information that falls within your expertise so that they develop trust in your business and in your brand. Traditionally you would do this through newsletters and word of mouth, for example.
Social networking sites let you maintain contact with customers and prospective customers online and provide information and resources to these people all at the one time and at relatively low cost.
When you join a social networking site you can find and make contact with potential consumers who are also members of that site’s community. In many cases you can do this even if you don't personally know these people. In short, social networking sites can provide easier access to your target clientele and a simple means of interacting with them.
How to Use Social Networking
Let's start out being clear what social networking is not. It is not a way to blatantly advertise a business or service, and these sites are not a place where your key focus should be on telling other people what you have for sale or for publicizing special offers.
Instead, social networking sites give you a forum where people can develop trust in your brand and in you as the owner of the business. When done right, people within that community will naturally turn to you when they’re in need of your products or services because they already know and trust you.
But you can only achieve this through building your expertise in their eyes and becoming a trusted resource to them.
The Main Social Sites
There are a lot of social networking sites, but the biggest include Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn. Each of them appeals to a different demographic and you need to determine which site attracts your potential clientele. For example, MySpace typically appeals to a young audience as it can be highly customized. Bands and record labels also use it to publicize music.
 Facebook lets you create personal pages, business pages and groups for people with similar interests.
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Facebook is less customizable, there are groups you can join, and it also lets you add business pages to publicize your business. LinkedIn is a good site for making business contacts, and Twitter is a micro-blogging site that lets you follow people to see what they are saying — in 140 characters or less.
Before you commit to a social networking campaign, familiarize yourself with the sites. With your target customer in mind, determine where you are most likely to find the people who can benefit from your product or service. You want to be where your customer is so that the time you spend in social networking will get you exposure to the people you need to connect with the most.
The sites are all free, and they will require you to register to use them. Go though the signup procedure and have a look around. Evaluate each site carefully and you might also ask your current customers which sites they use.
Rather than jumping in and writing a lot of posts, take time to understand the process. While most sites don’t have a lot of rules, each has its own etiquette considerations that you should respect. Taking the time to understand what behavior’s acceptable will prevent you from being called out for behaving badly.
Remember too that anything you write on these sites is public and can't generally be removed - there will always be someone who has a copy of what you wrote. If you wouldn’t say something in public, don't say it on the Web either.
 Micro-blogging site Twitter.com lets you write 140-character posts and follow people who post about subjects you're interested in.
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Once you commit to a social networking site, revisit your profile there and make sure the information is correct and complete. Make sure to include Web site and blog details in your social networking profile — you want anyone who views it to be able to find your Web site easily. If you’re putting effort into posting on Twitter, for example, add a link to your Web site inviting visitors to follow you on Twitter. It’s important that you make yourself highly visible to your audience regardless of wherever they first encounter you.
How You Benefit
It’s important to be clear about your social networking expectations. It’s unlikely that social networking will, of itself, bring new sales to your business particularly in the short term. What social networking is all about is developing your brand and giving the people you meet online a chance to see that you can be a trusted resource for them.
When you have established trust and earned their respect, people will turn to you when they need the kind of information or product that you are selling. With this in mind, it’s important that you take a professional approach to social networking and have a clear goal to showcase your expertise and to become a valued resource for your audience.
What You Should Post
On sites like Twitter and Facebook you can post links to information on the Web. For example, if you own an online bead shop you could post links to articles on DIY jewelry making or on choosing the right bead for a particular project — articles that would interest to your target market.
You can, and should, include links to your own blog if you have posts of this kind but also link to other high-quality resources that you find. If you set yourself up to be a repository of useful information about beading, people will stop looking for jewelry projects or bead information themselves and come to you to hear what you say because they recognize you as being a knowledgeable resource.
The name of the game is to be generous and to provide your expertise as a resource to your potential clientele. It’s this brand identification and the trust that you’re building that will ultimately benefit your business.
 For keeping in touch with business contacts, many people use the professional network site, LinkedIn.
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You Need to Know
There are a few gotchas in social networking to be aware of. The first is that the day-to-day basics of your business are the most important thing so focus on making sure that your orders are fulfilled, your store stocked and questions from your current customers answered before you spend a lot of time on social networking. Social networking should be an adjunct to a successful business not an excuse for avoiding the day-to-day tasks.
Take care with what you post and ensure that the answers that you provide are accurate — wrong or careless answers can backfire and diminish your credibility. Always be polite and professional even if you don’t agree with someone, and be respectful of their point of view.
Social networking sites can consume a lot of time so be selective. Having a valued presence on one or two sites is much better than having an ad hoc presence on lots of sites.
Social networking is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and it’s not going to provide your business with benefits overnight. However, it can be a valuable adjunct to your business marketing. Millions of people are using these sites and, as a member, you have access to them too. They’re a good way to help establish your brand and creditability in a cost effective way.
More Resources
Helen Bradley is a respected international journalist writing regularly for small business and computer publications in the USA, Canada, South Africa, UK and Australia. You can learn more about her at her Web site, HelenBradley.com
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