5 Effective Social Networking tips (Beginners)

Looking for ways to boost your sales then it’s time to take proactive steps and sign up for social networking sites. However, don’t be like your competition and sign up for social networking sites and never use them again.

The following social media marketing tips help outshine your competition – watch your sales increase and increase traffic to your websites.  

•  Sign up for social networking sites – Check out Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and niche social networking sites and sign up for them. Sign up for free – these sites are easy to navigate and user-friendly (even for the techno-challenged!)
• Fill out profiles – If you leave your profiles blank, you aren’t helping yourself when it comes to social media marketing. Include links to your websites and blogs (this is how you get backlinks to your sites). Fill out your business contact information, emails, etc. You WANT potential customers to contact you!
• Keep them coming back for MORE – Offer a freebie, valuable information, the latest and greatest news in your industry, contests, etc. Analyze your target markets and hone your message accordingly. Do you sell organic-cotton baby clothes? You wouldn’t send tweets to natural gas suppliers. Think mommies and owners of baby boutiques. People want VALUE so give them what they want so they keep coming back for MORE!
• Include your photo – People want to do business with a face and name they trust. Include a professional photo – a photo aligns you with your business name/company – a great branding trick!
• Don’t “over” sell/market – Remember less is more. You want to reel potential customers in with social media/networking messages. You don’t want to scare them away. Stop tweeting about what you ate for breakfast. Get back to the basics of your marketing message and don’t over sell your message. Stay away from “spam” messages or you’ll get blocked (not only by the sites, but by other users). You want a fan base, not an “I Hate Your Business Because You Spam Me Too Much” club.
• Keep it simple – Showcase your knowledge but don’t “talk down” to your audience. Learn what works and what doesn’t work for potential customers. Remember to keep your language/message breezy and friendly (but with a professional edge).