| Social Networking -- What Is It and Why Your Business Needs It | | Print | |
| Written by Michele Pariza Wacek | |
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Page 2 of 2 1. Blogging. Pros -- This is a terrific way to build traffic to your site. My blog gets a tremendous amount of traffic and much of that spills over to the rest of my site. Plus, I have a Wordpress blog, so it's built into my Web site and it comes with RSS and pinging and everything else a good blog should. (Did I mention it was free?) Cons -- You need to do some writing. And it does take time. (Either yours or someone on your team.) You should plan to post at least a couple of times a month -- more is better. 2. Podcasting. (Podcasting is like having your own little radio show, except the audio is downloaded into an iPod rather than broadcasted.) Pros -- This is a terrific way to add credibility and build trust with your customers. Audio, especially when listened to on a podcast, is very intimate. You end up building a tighter bond with your customers than through reading alone. Adding audio to Web sites has been shown to increase conversion rates. (I.e. more people will buy when there's audio involved.) Cons -- Time (you've got to make time to do your podcast, and once you start, you need to do it regularly). This is also a bit more technical than blogging -- you need to upload it to your site, to podcast directories, etc. Unless technology comes really easy for you, I would suggest finding someone to help you out (at least to get you started). And if you have a really dreadful voice I would think twice about doing a podcast. 3. Video. Pros -- Like audio, adding video to your site is great for increasing conversion rates. It adds a level of intimacy and helps your customers feel like they really know you. Cons -- Technical and time. For audio, all you need is a phone. Video you need a camera, a video editor, etc. Of course, once it's done, you can use it in a lot of places, but getting it done may feel overwhelming. 4. Social networking sites. This is fast becoming a great way to find customers, form relationships and drive traffic to your site. However, before you dive into this, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, there are some 200 social networking sites out there and I'm sure that number continues to grow. But, MySpace enjoys a whopping 80 percent of that traffic. So it only makes sense that 80 percent of the time you're devoting to social networking sites should be devoted to MySpace. And don't think MySpace is just for kids! I've only been playing around with it for a couple of weeks and I've already made some pretty good connections, plus I've noticed a spike in my traffic and sign-ups for my newsletter. My friend Nancy has a great primer on how to use MySpace for business purposes. The other two social networking sites I'm on are LinkedIn.com and Ryze.com. What I like about those two is they're more focused on business, plus they don't take a lot of time (so they fit nicely in the 20 percent of my time for the other sites). MySpace can be a time sucker, so just be aware of that. Pros -- Great for building relationships and appears to be good at driving Web traffic. Cons -- Takes time. (Sensing a pattern here?) Also, it's very easy to waste a lot of time on MySpace as well. My suggestion is to pick one of these techniques to start with, do it for a while and see what happens. If you start seeing leads and results, stick with it and maybe add another one. If it looks like it's not worth it (takes too much time and you're seeing too few results) try another. Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting, marketing communications and creativity agency. She helps people become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http:// www.michelepw.com Copyright 2007 Michele Pariza Wacek.
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