Hungry For a Little Social Networking? We are too.

October 19, 2011

How do you keep up with the constant social networking growth?

Even someone as social media savvy as myself finds it extremely hard to keep up with the constant social networking changes. Sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and many others have begun to dominate the online marketing world. Most companies know they NEED to have a social networking presence and some have jumped on the bandwagon, but still most people find it hard to keep up with the social networking world. Just so you know, you are not alone!

Social networking needs to be broken down like a meal. You start out with your appetizer, enjoy the main course, and top it all off with dessert. This is how I approach Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, my personal specialties.

Start Out With The Appetizer- Your Twitter Page

Twitter is a fun place to share personal thoughts, ideas, opinions, and market for business, all in one convenient place. Twitter is a fantastic resource, which immediately makes the user get right to the point of the post. Users get a few characters to say what they want and highlight the important statements in the posting. You want to remember a few important things while getting your daily or weekly Twitter taste in-

Make sure to use catchy statements and attach articles to your postings. If your are looking to grow your Twitter presence you must share your website, interesting articles, or other relative websites that may intrigue your followers. If you want to attach a link to an outside source use a website such as http://www.tinyurl.com. This will allow you to make shorter links in order to say more in your posting. For example:
This is the original link- http://www.facebook.com/SocialMarketingSolutionsLLC
This is the link after using tiny URL- http://tinyurl.com/42e3mvp
Twitter has millions of users who are interested in similar things to you or your company. Follow people who you are interested in. Use the search options to find your target audience by searching key words related to your industry or your area. (example search: Social Networking or Social Media NJ)
Read your Twitter feed. You are not going to be able to actively engage with your followers unless you know what they’re posting. Respond back to anyone who mentions you in a tweet or give a shout out to let your followers know who you are.Stay engaged, stay involved, and stay interested- it won’t take long, but will make a big difference in your presence.

Start Indulging Into Your Main Course- Your Facebook Page

Facebook has undergone A LOT of changes over the past couple of months. From group and page deletions to a complete redesign of Facebook's layout, Facebook has definitely caused an uproar of emotions in the social media community. Here are a few tips to help clear up some confusion.

You have to approach Facebook with an open mind. Facebook's audience is changing. Pre-teens, teenagers, adults, and seniors on Facebook connecting with anyone and everyone. You have to be accepting of Facebook's changes because frankly, they can't have the same content and layout up forever or people are going to get bored.
Spend time connecting with friends, family, and acquaintances on Facebook, but know that Facebook could change any day and any time- so don't become overly attached to your beloved personal profile.
Embrace Facebook's changes. Use the changes to your advantage, play around with what you like, and what you don't like, and really focus on connecting with people you know or engaging with the ones you don’t. It is a marketing tool, use the free site to your advantage and learn about the new changes, you may like them a lot more than you think.

Lastly, Enjoy Your Dessert- Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is the icing on the cake- it is YOUR resume where professionals go to see where you worked in the past, who you currently work for, where you went to college, what awards you have received, and much more. LinkedIn can be a great resource if you engage daily and accurately.

Create your personal LinkedIn page and input as much information as possible. Don’t leave your graduation year out or leave out an area of your past employment history. Although you may be tempted to leave some parts empty, completing your LinkedIn profile helps bring up your search optimization, which makes it easy for others to find you.
Don’t forget to update your page. Make sure your resume is up to date and all the information is correct. LinkedIn can be a great place to find potential employees and post job opportunities and you want to make sure all the information is accurate.
Actively engage with LinkedIn groups and with your connections. Join groups with topics or in industries you may be interested in. You may have great networking opportunities and learn some effective strategies related to your industry. You also want to comment and message your connections so they know who you are and what you do. This is helpful when your connection needs your services because they will remember you because of your online presence.

Social media is often hard to navigate through. Breaking it down and “tasting” each site a different day will help make the social networking world a little easier. Try contacting Social Marketing Solutions, LLC where we can create your social networking pages, update the pages with inspirational, conversational, and business related posts while also growing your online presence based on your target audience. I would be happy to sit down or discuss our services with a FREE consultation.

Warmly,
Kelly Jones
973-722-3469
Kelly@SocialMarketingSolutionsLLC.com
Owner and Social Media Expert