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Does Social Networking Really Work?

Guest post by: Kaya Singer

Article Overview: Small business owners sometimes feel like social networking takes up a lot of time and not a lot of results, however there are reasons why it is so important.

Does Social Networking Really Work?

Does social networking actually work?

I get asked this questions all the time by small business owners.

Like it or not, social networking and internet presence has arrived!

All business owners know that a big part of their success depends on having a good marketing plan and marketing plans are not what they used to be twenty or even ten, years ago.

All marketing needs to be pointedly focused toward a particular goal and not just random. Social networking can seem daunting and such a big time drain that it is easy to wonder what it is accomplishing. If you can see how it fits into your bigger plan it will make much more sense.

Up until just five years ago people still depended on brochures. Now, suddenly no one reads them. Everyone wants to look at your website. Even if someone has a brochure and it grabs my eye, I will quickly scan it looking for the web address, assuming that the more comprehensive information will be there.

I rarely want to pick up a brochure to take with me. I am like many people here in Portland that are now very conscious about paper use. Even with my awareness, I still recycle a frightening amount of paper each week.

In today’s world part of a good marketing plan includes internet marketing. However many small business owners don’t really understand social networking and how it can help their business. There is one important question to ask yourself:

“Are my potential customers on Facebook and Twitter?” If you don’t know, it’s time to do some market research to find out. One of my small business clients said she had no interest in Facebook and that she was sure her clients would feel the same way. I encouraged her to ask them and she was surprised to find out that she was wrong. As a result she was faced with needing to overcome her resistance.

If you answered,” yes,” then your answer is clear. You need to go where your customers are and most people are now on the internet. At the least, people are constantly on Google looking for information.

If your articles or blog comes up in their search, it helps with building your expertise in your niche.

At was at a networking group last year and a man who owned a roofing company, stood up and asked the group of about 50 people, if they would look in the phone book if they needed a roofer. Not one person raised their hand. Every person said they would use Google. At that moment he realized that the Yellow pages was no longer a marketing choice for him. Instead he decided to build a website. He is also on Twitter now and doing a blog giving roofing advice.

All marketing is about building relationships and giving value to your potential customers, s0 social networking will allow you to expand in this way. Facebook fan pages are developing like wildfire because suddenly business owners are waking up and understanding that this is a tool that allows them to connect with their niche market every day.

So, yes, social networking really does work but it needs to be a part of your whole marketing plan and used in a focused way in order to accomplish the result you want.

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Article Tags: marketing, marketing plan, small business, social networking



Related Forum Posts
Re: How can a social networking site make serious money? - Hi There, It is quite interesting, that some Social Networking do produce an income. I think testimonials are always a benefit to share. See one below: This Social Network has changed my life! Every night is a Friday night and everyday is a Saturday!! Because of it, I have been able to leave the workforce 10 years early.It has given me back my life. Many of us would like to retire early. I am sure there are many more. The point is of focusing with great determination. The ongoing challenge is to stay focussed and not be sidetracked into a newer scheme or so. Also I have read, during this financial turmoil, more people turn to Social Networking for various reasons.
Marketing 2012 - I am interested in what works for you in 2012, Social Networking, Search Engine traffic, Blogs, Articles, Forums, what? This is a quote from a 2009 Topic "Twitter, Social Networking, What is your Method? From my experience, social networking traffic (Twitter included) also converts at a far lower rate than search engine traffic. Evan Is this still true, or do you use something that gives us better returns and conversions
Re: Marketing 2012 - [quote="drdony":2y0daolc]I am interested in what works for you in 2012, Social Networking, Search Engine traffic, Blogs, Articles, Forums, what? This is a quote from a 2009 Topic "Twitter, Social Networking, What is your Method? From my experience, social networking traffic (Twitter included) also converts at a far lower rate than search engine traffic. Evan Is this still true, or do you use something that gives us better returns and conversions[/quote:2y0daolc] Great question Don! I'll create a video reply!
Re: Tactics for Blog Traffic - some more tips to drive traffic to blog or to promote a blog. Squidoo Lens Creation Hub Pages Creation Social Bookmarking (Digg, Delicious, Stumble, Reddit etc.) Be helpful in forums Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn etc.) syndication blog commenting (other blogs) Guest post
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!


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