Entries Tagged 'social networking' ↓

Since its inception in 2003, LinkedIn has grown from a fledgling platform with 4000-odd members to hundred million strong global users. More and more members are now discovering its scope as a networking channel. If you have checked LinkedIn off of your social media radar, you need to take a fresh look at the platform now!

Though it cannot surpass the obvious benefits of Facebook fan pages and more recently, those of Google+ brand pages, it can certainly help small businesses and entrepreneurs connect with potential clients. LinkedIn is not only your online resume; it is a chance to woo clients!

Here are a few tips on using LinkedIn as a marketing tool:

Join groups

Groups are the simplest way to communicate with people who share similar interests. Use the LinkedIn search feature to find groups to participate in. If you’re a freelance social media consultant, join social media marketing groups such as Social Media Marketing, Social Media Today, and Digital Marketing.

Participate in discussions

Participating in group discussions helps you network with other users and increase your list of connections. A lot of business owners also visit groups, either to keep updated with industry news or to find people to work with.

In either case, group participation helps you build trust. It also helps you in proving yourself as a subject matter expert, thus helping prospective clients make an easy decision about hiring your firm.

Think of it as a networking opportunity, similar to what you’d do in an offline environment. Use groups to sell your skills, not by direct upselling, but through creative, thought provoking, and logical discussions.

Understand that groups are visited by a global audience – keep your replies gender neutral and don’t include any racial biases.

Get recommendations

Recommendations are a clever way to demonstrate client feedback and testimonials. They tell people about your work style and what makes you different from other people with the same skills.

To get a recommendation, choose the “Recommendations” link under “Profile”. Select the role you want a recommendation for, decide who among your connections would be the best person to ask for a recommendation, and send them a message.

When selling a service, showcase recommendations from as many clients as possible. Recommendations are an opportunity to tell people about the work you do, how good your skills are, and what an amazing person you are to work with.

Write a great profile

Your profile is the first thing people see on LinkedIn and if you want them to read the whole thing, you have to make it interesting. Don’t copy information from your resume; create a short, enticing bio about how you can help them and what makes you different from your competition.

While the purpose of a LinkedIn profile is to list your abilities and credentials, don’t make it all about you. Clients are not visiting your profile to read about you, they want to know how you can help them and what you can do for them. Give them what they are interested in.

These simple tips will help increase your visibility on LinkedIn and get you more clients!

Author Bio: Joe Linford contributes on behalf of social shopping sites Broadband Genie and Crowdstorm 

The author’s views are entirely their own and may not reflect the views of FreelanceCopywritersBlog.com. If you are interested in producing a Guest Post for this blog, please get in touch with your ideas. 

The social media landscape is constantly changing.

The latest offering is Pinterest, a virtual pinboard that allows you to organise and share things you find on the web.

If, like me, you’re not really up to speed with this yet and can’t really see how it would benefit you, this handy post on SocialMediaExaminer.com might help.

It takes a look at 26 tips for using Pinterest for your business.

Grab a coffee and have a read –26 Tips for Using Pinterest for Business

Over to you

What do you reckon?

Is it going to be the next big thing?

Are you already using it?

Leave a comment below and tell us what you think.

Twitter – a social networking platform where you can communicate in 140 characters, which amounts to relationship building in a literal nutshell.

Take a good a look at the third word in that opening sentence – social.

How can you automate being social?

Social is relationship building, spontaneity, conversation and all those things you need to be present to do.

And yet people still profess that automating your Twitter usage is the way to go – but why?

The Pros of automated tweeting

Those in the ‘pro’ camp will try to convince you that automating your tweeting will:

• Save you time
• Give a constant presence
• Give your followers a stream of tweets to keep you in their mind
• Provide your followers with timely offers
• Help you plan your strategy to target potential customers

But there is a problem with that. Sending out random tweets isn’t always constructive. Plus, some people who automate will schedule the same tweet to go out at weekly or monthly intervals. They may think it saves them time, but it’s not long before their followers get fed up with seeing the same message. And that type of repetitiveness highlights the fact that you’re an absent tweeter.

The cons of automated tweeting

So, that brings us to the cons of being automated:

• There is no engagement with your followers
• Your tweets can appear random and disjointed
• If you’re not there, you can’t respond to replies or RTs (retweets)
• There is no conversation
• You can’t react quickly to someone else’s tweet

The ideal strategy

I am no Twitter guru, but I have been using it for a while now.

For me, the best strategy is to be there in person when I’m tweeting. The only automated tweets that go out are those showing my latest blog posts when they are published – everything else is me. That way I can react to other people’s tweets, join in with conversations and offer help and advice when needed.

Over to you

What’s your take on this?

What strategy do you use?

Leave a comment below and have your say about the pros and cons of automated tweeting.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter

Everyone is going social these days.

We’re all tweeting, posting status updates, digging, stumbling – you name it.

The only problem is keeping on top of all the social networks you use.

How are you managing yours?

Are you getting the most out of them all?

The problem with social media

Managing my networks is a problem and I’ve long searched for the perfect solution for me.

In my quest I came across this post on SocialMediaExaminer.com that looks at 3 new apps to help you manage your social networks.

They take a look at:

• Alternion – ideal for managing your accounts on various networks across the internet
• LiveGO – great for keeping up with several accounts on Twitter, Facebook pages and your email
• Netvibes – a simple way to monitor brand mentions or specific topics all in one place

Go and take a look – one of them could be just what you’re looking for.

For many new tweeters, that is probably the first question that springs to mind.

After setting up your account, you probably searched for friends, family and colleagues and then came to a grinding halt.

What happens next? How do you find new followers?

Let Twitter give you a helping hand

If you go to your Twitter page, you should see something like this:

At the top of the screen you can see #Discover, clicking on this brings up this screen. As you can see, it gives you the options ‘who to follow’ and ‘find friends’.

But what happens when people follow you?

Should you automatically follow them back?

The simple answer is no. Take control of your Twitter stream and follow only those people you want to follow.

Here are 5 very simple ways to make sure you get value out of your Twitter experience:

1. Say farewell to spam

When someone follows you, take a look at their tweets. Are they excessively promotional? If so, they are more than likely going to be a spammer. Unless you want your stream full of their plugs, don’t bother following them back.

2. What are they saying?

Someone’s Twitter feed will tell you a lot about them. Take a look at their past tweets – do you find them interesting? If so, follow them, if not, don’t bother.

3. OTT

Tweeters come in all shapes and sizes; some have a lot to say, others very little. If someone follows you who is a prolific tweeter think carefully before following them back. Do you really want them to be filling your Twitter stream 24/7?
If what they’re saying is interesting, go ahead and follow. But if you’re not so sure, it may be better to pass.

4. Silent night

Twitter is all about being social and that means interacting. If you’ve been trying to engage with a particular follower and they’ve just been ignoring you, you’re not really getting any value out of that relationship so it may be time to unfollow and find someone who’s a little chattier.

5. Bio and interests

The best way to find out a bit about your followers is through their biography. Personally, if there is no avatar (i.e. uploaded their own rather than using a generic one), or there is no bio (or a very poor one) I won’t follow back.

Your bio is where you can add details about you, your likes and dislikes. It’s the best way to work out whether you have something in common with your follower or not. If you do, you are far more likely to enjoy a great Twitter relationship.

At the end of the day, Twitter is about being social. It’s not about a band of silent stalkers that don’t interact with each other.
Choose who you follow carefully to make sure you get the most out of your experience. By following these 5 very simple ‘quality checks’, you’ll be able to ensure your Twitter followers will add value to your social media activities.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter and Tweeter