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Posts Tagged ‘networking’
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Networking, online and off line, is a time-honored business practice. Business owners have been engaging others through social networking ever since they’ve been doing business. The only difference has been the strategies employed.
Online, social networking has come to a different age. It’s as much a necessity of doing business as SEO and paid search. But how much time should you spend networking online and where should you go to do it?
Those are perhaps the two most important questions to ask yourself when you embark upon a new strategy for your business. How much time is enough time to network, and where? On the time question, I would say you want to spend a good amount of time networking, but don’t overdo it. Of the time that you spend marketing your business, maybe 30% of that time should be spent networking. That means 30% (or 25%-35%) the time you spend on activities like PPC, SEO, and social media marketing should be spent on networking specifically.
Now, on the where question, that’s a little more difficult to answer. It really depends on your business and who your potential customers are. If you cater to a consumer-oriented crowd that spends time playing Zynga games on Facebook then you should spend time on Facebook. If your audience is on Twitter then be on Twitter. If you cater to businesses or a more professional crowd then spend time on LinkedIn.
It is important to define and narrow your goals for networking when you decide to start your networking plan. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time doing nothing and wasting time.
Tags: facebook, networking, social networking
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Now that Facebook is the most trafficked website online we can all marvel at the unusual uses of the service. Auto companies are now using Facebook to launch contests. And nations are using it to write more traffic tickets.
Of course, it’s no news that U.S. residents are using Facebook in record numbers.
If you are a small business owner, now is the perfect time to think about how you are using social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Especially Facebook. There are so many ways to connect with people through Facebook that it’s almost a game to try to reach the right people for your business. Not all the ways of marketing a business through Facebook are effective, but when it comes to pure networking, you can bet that you can meet some people who will turn into customers. All you need is a personality and a mission.
Tags: automobiles, facebook, networking
Posted in Social Media | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Cloud computing has gained some notoriety in the last couple of years. Amazon.com has become a major player in the cloud computing market as have Google and Zoho, the open source competitor to Google Docs. Is cloud computing a concept that small businesses can get behind?
First, let’s define the cloud.
Cloud computing consists of decentralizing a company’s computer networks and paying only for services that you use. You may end up with one application on one server and another application on a completely different server. Does this offer the small business any advantages?
Yes, it does. Cost is the most obvious advantage. Since you only pay for the services that you actually use, a small business can often achieve some of the same connectivity power that their larger competitors have at a fraction of the cost. You don’t pay for network services that are not important to you so bundled services become a lot less attractive to the market overall.
Another advantage is security. If one server gets compromised you still have your other services. However, unlike a cluster server you cannot move your applications from the compromised server to the non-compromised. That’s one disadvantage.
Nevertheless, I see cloud computing growing and becoming more relevant to small businesses in the near future. This is a concept you want to keep an eye on. Perhaps you’ll find a way to incorporate cloud computing into your online business model.
Tags: cloud computing, networking, server security, small business
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Many online businesses have figured out that networking off line can be just as effective, or more so, than networking online. The advantage to networking off line is you get to meet people face to face and develop relationships in person. By that, you can establish trust a lot more easily. This is the perfect way for local businesses to network and secure more business. They’ve been doing it for years.
Some of the tools that you can use to do more off line networking for your online business include:
- Meetup – Start or join a local Meetup group. These groups can be centered on any topic and are usually run by a local person with an interest in your niche. If you don’t find a local Meetup group in your niche then start one.
- Tweetup – If you Twitter, start or join a Tweetup group. It’s like Meetup, but for Twitterers.
- Facebook – Facebook is an online social media marketing tool, but it does have a local networking function that allows you to meet people who are local to you. Use it to establish relationships then meet your friends off line for some real world local fun.
- Trade Shows – Just about every industry sponsors periodic trade shows. Find one in your area and attend.
- Chamber of Commerce – Join your local Chamber of Commerce.
- Charity or Civic Service Organization – Get involved in a local charity.
The idea behind meeting people of line in the real world and doing business with them online is to build trust. Develop relationships with people in your area. Use your imagination and find creative ways to develop relationships with people in your area and invite them to do business with you online.
Tags: marketing, networking, off line relationships, online marketing
Posted in Networking for Small Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
While social media is a great way to…socialize, small businesses can utilize this online marketing tool for so much more. But you’ve got to do it smart. Social media can also be a big time-waster if you’re posting that you’re having pizza for dinner, so here are a few tips to make sure you’re social media savvy.
How Businesses Approach Social Media:
1. Who is your online audience? Are you leaning toward your local market who will in turn, link you to their community friends? Are you looking to make professional contacts? You’ll approach each segment of the market differently, so define this before you open your online account.
2. Have a goal: How will you know if it’s worth the time and effort unless you have an idea of what you’d like to achieve? Are you going for contacts or sales? Is your focus to build your online presence and send traffic to your website? List at least three goals to start with and then create a plan of action.
3. Make a plan: Take a look at those goals and figure out how to achieve them. What online tools work best with your brand? Are you going to announce your podcasts? Streaming video? Promote a contest? Consider customer/client interaction at every turn. Encourage comments, questoins, and suggestions–and then respond. People like to know they’ve been heard.
The best way to figure all this out is to look at other companies who have already blazed the trail. The same principles that work for the big boys–or your competitors–might work for you. Go on a major social media site such as LinkedIn and look for companies you’re impressed with–what do their accounts look like? What’s new? How many people are responding regularly?
Innovative Ways Small Businesses Can Use Social Media:
Ask for customer opinion–have them name a new product or welcome their comments about your website or store design. Post photographs–and not necessarily of your dog–but do feature your products, or a star customer or employee. People like to know their input matters. Ask them to visit your LinkedIn profile the next time you email them or send out an e-newsletter and assure them their voice counts.
Offer helpful tips and advice on your social media site–but don’t go for the hard sell. Let it be a service to the community, and you can and should always list your website. Is there something you can add or change seasonally? Remeber to add fresh content.
Got a sense of humor? Humor goes a long way online, so share those crazy office antics, or link to YouTube if you find a great video to share (be sure to give attribution). Check out a public domain cartoon or joke site for fresh material that copyright free.
Contests and promotions are made for social media exposure. If you’re offering a great prize and you mention it on a social media site, it’ll get around. You can even create a scavenger hunt/”Where’s Waldo” dynamic by having them visit your website to gather clues in order to enter the contest. Clever way to get a hit, huh?
Social media for small businesses is a great tool–it offers exposure and networking possibilities. Do it smart by knowing your audience, having a goal, and making a plan.
Tags: networking, Small Business Internet Marketing, social media marketing
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, Local Internet Marketing, Networking for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
If the whole social media concept has you baffled, one that is truly worth your time to investigate is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is for business people and is considered a professional network that has an impressive 35 million registered users connected to 170 business related industries.
LinkedIn uses a “gate-access approach,†which means that connections are made from preexisting relationships or by “introductions.†That means that rocker dude isn’t trying to hit on pretty girl just because he likes her wallpaper which is fancy name for how she decorates her page and what’s playing on her iPod.
LinkedIn is for business people who know that social media networking is the new “power lunch.â€
LinkedIn is about contacts. The list of people you know is called your “connections.†You can invite other business people to join LinkedIn by email, (even if they haven’t joined LinkedIn, you can invite them) so who you know matters—and who they know—matters.
Your list of connections will grow and can be used to help you find a job, check out a job candidate, find new business opportunities and grow your network community with fellow business people who are there for the same purpose.
Now that you know a little about LinkedIn, you’re probably thinking about joining. Like all social networks, it’s smart to learn how the system works in order to reap the maximum benefits.
Join Caroline Melberg for this fantastic workshop:
Ok, I’m LinkedIn… Now What?!?
How to Use LinkedIn to Find New Clients and Grow Your Business
The workshop will cover:
• What LinkedIn is and why you should care
• How to network on LinkedIn
• The essentials of creating a power-packed profile that shows up in the LinkedIn search results
• How to use LinkedIn to find new clients or customers and grow your sales
This workshop is so popular that Caroline has had to add an additional LinkedIn class.
Workshop date: February 19th, 6p.m.
It’s a BYOL, Bring Your Own Laptop class where we’ll log-in to your profile and make changes that will make show you effective strategies for using LinkedIn to grow your business.
For more information and to register, go to: www.SocialWebTraining.com and click on the February 19th class today!
Tags: " social web, caroline melberg, networking
Posted in PR for Small Business, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
It`s not always necessary to wait for some big event to happen so you can get your networking quota in for the year. In fact, you`ll probably find that smaller, spread out events are better for building networking contacts more steadily. And, if there aren`t any coming up in your area, why not set up your own?
A few ideas:
- Blogger Meetup. If you follow the blogs of others who are in your area, why not arrange to meet at a centrally located restaurant or coffeehouse? This is becoming more popular these days and can be a great way to network with others in a similar mind-set.
- Twitter Meetup. Like blogging, Twitter often results in becoming familiar with others and the next step is to connect in real life.
- Business Lunch. There are probably quite a few other entrepreneurs and small business owners in your area, so you could arrange a lunch where everyone could come to meet and connect. This can be a very useful method of getting to know who is available in your hometown or even state.
Don`t be afraid to make things happen for you in the world of networking. There`s not much point in waiting around for someone else to set something up, you`ll miss a lot of great opportunities! A small meet up doesn`t have to be complicated, you can easily just hang out at a coffee shop and talk, so there`s no need for big event planning. Just get out there and start networking!
Tags: group, meetup, network, networking
Posted in Networking for Small Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
This is a question that many people have when they hear me talking about online networking, such as with LinkedIn. And the answer is yes, better, even!
That doesn`t mean you should be excluding offline marketing, a combination of the two is the perfect way to go. But first, let me explain just why I think online networking is actually better than offline.
First of all, you have the potential to reach many more people on the internet. When you post in a forum, you aren`t just talking to the people who are there at the moment, but everyone who has registered with that forum. And not only that, often forum posts are public and will show up on Google in the search results, meaning that one little paragraph can potentially connect with millions of people. You certainly don`t get that scale when you chat with someone at a business conference!
Another huge advantage to online marketing is that you can reach so many people that you would never have access to in a real world situation. While business meetups and seminars can expose you to more people than in your home town, you`ll still find that you are able to reach more online. And location is not an issue, so you can literally network with anyone in the world.
Online networking is definitely not the only way to network, but it should certainly be a big part of your marketing strategy.
Tags: business, networking, online
Posted in Networking for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Are you on the shy side? Does networking sound like pure torture to you?
That doesn`t mean you should avoid networking. If you want to build a successful business and keep growing it in coming years, you`ll need to make those connections that are so vital for keeping businesspeople working together.
For anyone that has been putting things off until now, it`s high time you started talking up your business. But be aware that there are a lot of different methods for networking, so if one way isn`t your cup of tea, you can always try another method.
- Trade shows
- Online networking sites
- Blogging
- Email
- Business group meetups
- Out and about on your daily chores
These are just a few of the ideas you could be using to promote your business. Talking to people, whether face to face or virtually, is a great way to boost business drastically, so it`s worth doing.
Make sure you take every opportunity to network. That doesn`t mean pushing yourself and your business onto others, genuine networking is just that, a network that goes both ways. Ask them what they do and you`ll invariably get the same question back. You never know when the people you`re talking to might have some very useful information, so go into each conversation with interest.
Networking is the best thing you can do to ensure that your business keeps growing. Human contact is still the most effective method of marketing, so make it work for you.
Tags: business, networking, talking
Posted in Networking for Small Business | No Comments »
Sunday, January 4th, 2009
Networking isn`t necessarily something that comes naturally to everyone, but it is certainly something you can learn. One way to ensure that you take full advantage of all the opportunities that come up is to have a networking plan.
Basically, a networking plan is to ensure that you know what to do when faced with a networking opportunity. First, you`ll need to identify possible chances to speak about your business. For example, non-formal situations like the doctor`s office and formal situations like a business meeting.
Each of these chances will present you with different opportunities. You`ll want to develop an “elevator speech” or a speech which you could deliver in 60 seconds that explains exactly what your business is about. This can be your first response when someone asks what you do.
What will you do next to network? That`s up to you. It could include giving your business card to the person, sending them your URL or just about anything else that will promote further contact.
Tags: business, contact, networking
Posted in Networking for Small Business | No Comments »
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