The Home Biz Network

So you've decided that social media marketing would do wonders for your business. You've been cruising the internet and found all the big sites that everyone seems to be talking about.

What you may never have realized though is that there are sooo many!

Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo and the new 400 pound gorilla, Twitter. How do you choose and where do you start? Here are a few tips.

First- Figure out who your target audience is. Who are your customers? Are they stay at home moms or corporate executives? What do they have in common and where would they be most likely to hang out?

Second- Think outside the box. Sure there are lots of huge Social Media sites on the internet, but there are also lots of forums and blogs covering pretty much any niche market you can think of. Here's something I do a lot when I'm researching something. In the Google search box type in the name of your target market followed by the word forum or blog.

For example, say your niche market is stay at home moms who home school their kids. Just enter home school mom forum or home school blog. For sure you'll find tons of them. Matter of fact, a search of home school mom forum had 7,280,000 results and home school mom blog had 28,000,000! Think you could find a few folks in there?

Third- Be an expert, but be humble. When you're posting to a forum, blog or social media site the first few times it's important to remember that it's kind of like being a guest in someone's home for the first time.

Ever had a friend of a friend show up at a party and by golly they know everything about everything. They've been there, done that and bought the t-shirt and they love telling you about how brilliant they are. After they bent your ear for a good half hour, how fast did you have to go refill the bean dip? In other words, no one wants to listen to a know-it-all. Sit back and observe for a little while. Get a feel for the rhythm of the group and when the time arrives and you can help someone out with a question or problem, you can jump in, answer the issue at hand and look like a hero.

That's the way to make friends and influence people. 

Fourth- Look for groups on the Social Media sites like Facebook (and there are thousands of groups in there) where your target audience hangs out. Corporate executives who dabble in Forex trading may be in a group where they could share the latest techniques and trends. If Forex trading is your thing, same rule applies as before. Join the group, be helpful and let your expertise shine. When you can offer some tips that the group members find useful and you give genuine value first, people are naturally drawn to you.

Bottom line:

Adding Value (lots of it) + People looking to solve a problem = Many potential customers (and referrals) 

Fifth- (this'll be the last one for now, promise) Start with just one or two Social Media sites to avoid overwhelm and having steam coming out of your ears. The great thing about using Social Media to market you business is that there are so many to choose from. It's sort of like going to a buffet where you can try a little bit of everything. The problem is there are so many to choose from (hmmm...sound familiar?) and you can spread yourself way too thin and dilute your efforts.

Start slow, establish yourself as an expert in a few really good groups and forums and watch your business grow. If you need any help sifting and sorting through the social media maze and need a little guidance, just ask by filling out the form for the free consultation. I'd love to meet you. Happy marketing!