Hi All,
A post about social networking...
The way we do business online is evolving, and at the forefront of this change is social networking. It was only ever going to be a matter of time before business crept into the realms of Facebook, Myspace and more recently Twitter. And for any self-respecting Internet marketer it has been an obvious move.
It stands to reason that where there's a crowd, there's money to be made.
But social network marketing is a brand new concept and many "traditional" marketers are failing to grasp the real opportunities it offers. It's going to be a case of "back to school" for many of these social misfits and it's going to be "back to the drawing board" for many of their ill-fated marketing strategies.
So can we mere mortals unravel the mystery of successful social network marketing?
Yes of course we can. Just as long as you can implement the theories relevant to reverse psychology and fully understand the principles of viral and affiliate marketing, then you should have no problems whatsoever.
What does this mean for the typical Internet marketer of today? Well, to a degree it means no more automatic sales machines pumping out cash 24/7. Why? Because you're going to have to start communicating with people, and that means you'll have to make yourself available.
People don't want to be treated like a "prospect" anymore. They don't want to be seen as just another sales figure. They want to be able to meet their seller, talk to them and befriend them.
They want to know that you are a genuine person. And they want to know that if anything should go wrong with the product or service they have purchased from you, you will respond to their problems in a timely and courteous manner.
They also want to know that they can count on you for help and advice. So if you want to stay in business and grow your business, then you are going to have to learn to talk to your customers. It's back to basics.
That understood, how then do you create new business through the social network channels?
The answer is, create a formula or a system. Every successful Internet marketer knows that to generate a lot of business you need a system. It's as well to remember that people don't make money, systems do.
So, let's look at what is needed in order to create an effective business generating system.
Obviously you will need a product or service, which you will have already established that your prospects will want. Don't worry, if they don't want it you'll soon find out.
Next, you need to start socialising. For the sake of this demonstration, I recommend you open an account on Facebook and Twitter. Use Twitter to get as many followers as you can and don't stop getting new followers every day. Build that list!
Make sure that your "Tweets" are interesting. Talk about what you know and try to get people to join you on Facebook, where you can offer more in-depth information about yourself, your business and your products and services.
Start a blog and write about your business, then tell your followers on Twitter and Facebook each time you post to your blog. Offer free advice, free information and even free products.
Now, at no time should you try to convince people that they should visit your website to buy your products, even though this is what you obviously and ultimately want them to do. Instead, offer free and valuable information about your products or services. Your goal is to get people asking where they can buy such a product or service. And of course you will have the answer.
If you can become an "expert" by offering free information and advice, people will fall over themselves just to get to you. They'll beat a path to your website and they'll beat your front door down and buy everything you suggest.
Don't stop giving your customers freebies. For example, create a report, which need only be 10 pages long and include links to your website or affiliate products throughout. Tell your customers that they can give it away for free from their websites, their blogs and their emails.
Encourage them to give it away to as many people as they can. It needs to become viral, so make sure the report contains valuable information or links to free downloads.
Now make sure that your main product or your next product can make money for your customers. As part of your "system" you need to create an army of affiliates. Start an affiliate program and recruit resellers like there's no tomorrow. Use Clickbank or PayDotCom to handle everything for you.
But don't ever, ever try to recruit affiliates on your social network circuit unless they have expressed an interest or have bought from you already. You must first nurture your prospects. Give them help, advice, guidance and valuable information so they practically fall in love with you. Then they will buy your products, and tell everyone else how great you are.
Remember, this is SOCIAL network marketing. Make friends first and the sales will follow.
All for now,
Bill
Copywriting Services
Twitter Stuff
Making Money
