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Guest post by: Michael Fleischner Become an Author

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I often get asked about Twitter and it's role in marketing. Facebook, MySpace, and not Twitter seem to be interesting sites but can they be used to build your brand or help you sell more? I believe they can as long as you keep these strategies in mind.

Social media is all about building a dialog with like minded people or people who are in your target audience. Where social media has impact is when it's focused on the market you serve. If you are in shoes and you're trying to build a following in the area of automotive, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Start with a plan. If you want to use social media for marketing and promotional purposes, you really need to have a plan. Starting to post or profile is a great idea but certainly not enough for online success. To succeed you should define objectives, resources, and responsible parties. Doing so improves your chances of success dramatically.

Share what you know. Each of us has an area or discipline that we know something about. If you have a hobby, career, or area of interest, then focus on sharing what you know with others. By focusing your efforts on what you know best, your passion comes through and keeps others engaged. This creates more value for your followers and keeps them coming back.

Be consistent with your communications. Speak with your audience on a regular basis. Better yet, create a dialog and conversation around specific topics. This ensures that your conversation is meaningful and valuable. It's always a good idea to solicit topics from your audience. What you share must be relevant to their day to day needs.

Invite conversation with others around specific topics. Take a stand and choose a side. By serving to create dialog, others want to be part of the conversation. The more people that weigh in the better your content as it represents many different points of view. This enriches the content and attracts others to your conversation.

Don't sell. Here's the key with social media. If all you plan to do is sell, you're in for a big surprise. People using social media don't want to be sold. Rather, create meaningful content, let others follow and interact with you, share your expertise. To sell with social media, you first need to sell yourself. After a short time, others will try what you try, follow what you follow, and take your suggestions as gospel.

Social media can be a very powerful tool for promoting your product, service, or brand. But be careful. If social media is misused, it can turn off your followers. Unfortunately, this type of exodus is quick and permanent. Social media tools make it easy to unsubscribe or unfollow. That means you don't have second chances and you have to be extra careful with your dialog.

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