Netiquette is the acceptable behavior within a social
marketing (Web 2.0) or social networking atmosphere.
Failure to recognize these unspoken rules could mean little
or no marketing results, or even worse, a disastrous effect
on your image.
It is actually quite common for people to misuse social
networks, and thus, receive no real benefit from them. In
fact, more than anything among professional social networks
people naturally have the wrong idea, and the few that do
know what they are doing are experiencing great results.
What is the common problem? The problem is that marketers
view these sites only as a means of advertising and
sponsoring people into their businesses. Don't get me wrong
though, if used properly these sites will increase your
businesses and income, but with a much stronger foundation.
First let's go over what not to do through social
marketing. As a side note, social marketing can mean any
Web 2.0 social book-marking, content sharing, or social
networking site. You should not blatantly shove your
product or opportunity. Instead, you should be attracting
people to you by offering value and information to other
users. If you are becoming friends with users just to send
them advertisements without attempting to build a personal
relationship then you are misusing the site. In most cases
it is also true that these users will not be responsive at
all to your message and will just block or report you.
However, once you have built a relationship with your
contacts it is ok to send them an announcement of your
product or opportunity along with an informative message on
how it will help them. You should limit how often you do
this, do not promote your stuff to them every day. Instead,
bring them value 90% of the time and 10% promoting yourself
or business. You will find that you are attracting more and
more people to you instead of chasing people.
Another pitfall that some people fall into is conflicting
with others within the social network. Know the difference
between discussion and attacking. If you have a different
view than someone else it is ok to voice your opinion but
make sure to use facts and keep a constructive atmosphere.
Now let's go over some tips for what you should try to do
and accomplish through social networking sites.
1) You should build relationships
This one is obvious, but still needs to be mentioned
because of its huge importance. People buy from people they
like and trust. If that is you they will buy from you.
Introduce yourself to other users, but spend more time
asking and talking about them than yourself. Discover their
goals and needs and help them achieve them. A simple way of
showing value to your contacts is by teaching them how to
use the social network if they have questions about certain
features or customization options. You also need to keep a
regular communication with your friends; this can be done
on a mass scale through bulletins or by bulk e-mailing your
friends. The communications should be value based and
mostly informational, this will increase the likelihood of
their interest in what you have to offer.
2) Help connect people to others
One thing you can do that will earn you major points with
others is by introducing people to each other. You can do
this through recommending friends who have similar
interests. If your friends are involved in the same
opportunity or sell the same product connect them so they
can share with each other. If one of your friends sells
something and another friend is looking to buy it, then
that is a simple connection you can make. Now your friends
will want to help you and the favor will be returned.
3) Evaluate your perspective
Are you constantly thinking about what others can do for
you? Instead consider what you can do to help them. If your
goal is to help others first you will build solid
relationships and receive phenomenal results in your
business. Ask others how you can possibly help them and
they will see you as a valued friend.
4) Upload a photo and build a quality profile
Profiles with photos receive up to 70% more exposure. This
shows the importance of adding a photo to your profile. If
you do not have a photo of yourself you can put a photo of
anything, the important thing is that you have a photo
uploaded on your account. You also need to take the time
to build a quality profile. First, write briefly about
yourself, provide some marketing tips or advice, and then
feel free to write about the value that you can provide to
others. Every friend of yours should be visiting your
profile at least once, and if the network allows for you
will be having views from non-friends or even non-members
also.
5) Add and accept unlimited friends
Finally, your goal within the social network is to connect
with as many people as possible. The more people you are
friends with then the more exposure you can potentially
have to your products or opportunities. Most social
networks allow you to bulk contact your friends. You will
use this feature in order to send helpful tips as well as
promotions to all of your friends at once. This is why
building up your friends list is even more valuable. If you
are adding a lot of friends it is likely you will not be
able to personally get in touch with all of them, in this
case it is wise to show them your value and professionalism
through your bulk communications to all of your friends so
they can learn about you and the value you provide.
Social networks offer you the ability to get exposure but
so much more. A huge benefit to social-networking is
learning from others and being in an environment of shared
knowledge. Take advantage of everything social networks
have to offer and take the time to build quality
relationships. I still work with other network marketers I
met online over six years ago and these relationships have
become highly valuable! In final words: Networking is a
contact sport.
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Darren Olander is dedicated to teaching others how to
create a success online through internet network marketing
strategies. He is a site owner, article writer, coach &
marketing consultant enjoying the benefits of working full
time from home. Learn more about him at
http://www.darrenolander.com
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