The 4 B's of Effective Social Networking for the Busy Entrepreneur

Using social media for networking and marketing your business is HUGE! It’s an essential tool that entrepreneurs need to use to reach a much larger audience.

Since it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start, I wanted to share with you the 4 B’s of Social Networking:

Be selective and pick the right social media site for you

As with all marketing strategy, you need to clarify who your ideal client is and where they are in social media. The top three places are Facebook ,LinkedIn and Twitter, but that is by no means the whole list. Just because “everyone” is using one of these, doesn’t mean it’s the right place for you. You’ve got to go where your ideal partners and clients are and really reach out to connect with your comments.

Broaden your scope on who to connect with

Yes, entrepreneurs use social media as a way to connect with potential customers or clients with the ultimate goal of selling your services or products. But you can benefit from also connecting with the influencers or experts in your industry from whom you can learn valuable information. Another group is colleagues who offer similar services that complement what you do. Building joint ventures is a great way to increase your business.

Build relationships

We’ve all seen where people just sell and sell and sell on their sites and that’s all they do. That’s a very uncomfortable place to be, and if you’re like me, you don’t stay there. It’s called “social networking” because it’s all about being social and building relationships with those we’re connecting with.

Be of service

By sharing something of value with your friends, you’re building the “know, like, trust factor” that leads to happy relationships that eventually turn into customers. You could share short tips on interesting topics, referrals to other great websites that are of value, and don’t forget the value of asking questions. Often you’ll discover what’s on the minds of others and then you can incorporate that into the services you offer.

Social networking is here to stay and smart entrepreneurs schedule time to connect effectively through it. If you’re new to social media and want help getting started, check out my ebooks for newbies Twitter 101 and Facebook 101; or if you’re looking for a comprehensive game plan for a strong online presence check out my ebook, The Social Networking Action Plan.

I’d really love to hear about some of the great connections you’ve made using social media and how it’s added richness to your life and business.