Expanding your online network has never been more important than it is today and luckily for you and I, it has never been easier. Take a look below and keep in mind the rewards that come with successfully marketing yourself and your business online.
Take advantage of social networking sites:
Do the obvious first and set yourself up with profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google +. Import the contacts you have already made by syncing with your email contacts list. Create a list of specific keywords you need for your company. Use this list to find people that match the audience you want your brand or business to attract.
Make a networking plan:
Anything worth doing is worth doing well as the saying goes, really this couldn’t be more important than with online marketing. There are many free online tools you can use to create a networking project plan or contact list. Put this on top of your to-do list and make it a priority.
The likelyhood is, you have probably underestimated just how many contacts you already have. Start with these, and section them into different categories; friends, family, business contacts, clubs and groups you belong too. Once this step is completed you will be ready to put your plan in action.
Google places to increase your networking potential:
Check out Google’s free and extremely accessible service, Google Places. This is what Google says “Google Places brings users and their local businesses together, both online and in the real world”. This feature is great way for customers to find you online. Google takes its time to verify who you are but it’s well worth investing a small bit of time in.
Greeting and Tweeting:
Sign up to be a Tweeter, link up with those with similar interests and use that list of keywords you made earlier to network with those who could be potential customers. Take the time to get to know your followers and followees, greet users and offer feedback and advice at every opportunity. Setting yourself up as an expert in your field will make you the go-to guy they will remember. Tweeting does not have to be too time consuming and there are hundreds of apps available on the internet free of charge that will make your workload on Twitter a whole lot lighter.
Make sure you also take advantage of the free buttons all of the social networking sites offer and implement them on your website, blog, store or directory. A simple ‘like us’ on Facebook button can give you a great idea of how well your online networking is going. There are also buttons available for Twitter, LinkedIn and Google + along with other worthwhile sites, install 4-5 of your choice (or more) and make it easier for your potential and existing customers to get in touch. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to networking online. The one thing I would say is that you don’t necessarily have to stick to the sites that we all know. Take a look around the Internet and see what works for you. Another site worth a mention is Jigsaw.com, I found this site great when I first started my business, hopefully so will you.