NETWORKING WAHM

Archive for August, 2008

Social Networking in SEO by Mercedes Aspland

Firstly let’s think about social networks generally and what their aims are. The best way to think about this is that they are similar to search engines where they want to make the best content available to users. However the value of the content is determined by the popularity from its members and not from a mathematical algorithm. For examples the articles with the largest number of diggs will find themselves on the front page of Digg.com.

I hear you asking, how can this benefit my business? Well let’s think about what social networks can bring you, firstly they can bring valuable exposure and so increasing traffic to your site. They also can bring more back links to your site and so helping to improve your search engine ranking which in turn will bring more traffic to your site, which is the aim of the game.

Now I bet your thinking, how can I take advantage of these opportunities? Well it is very simple really and below are the main steps to using social networks to improve the profile of your business:

1.Research the sites you want to use. There are the obvious ones in MySpace, Facebook and Digg but there may also be some that are business specific and industry specific.

2.Once you have decided on your sites then you will need to set up a profile. Make sure this includes as much interesting information on your company as possible and includes a link back to your website.

3.Now you need to make connections. Firstly start by finding old friends from school, university and previous jobs. It is also a good idea to search for people that are interested in areas that are related to your business and try and build relationships with them.

4.Get yourself seen. A good way to do this is to go to Forums on your selected sites and join in discussions. If people are having problems that you can help with make every effort to help them, remember to include a link to your site. This will not only increase the validity of you and your business but will also increase your connections on these sites.

5.Update your profile regularly. Many social networking sites will send a notice to your friends if your profile has been updated and as people are naturally nosey many will come to see what you have done which will increase the coverage you get.

6.Send out announcements to your friends. If you have some company news or you have a special offer it might be worth letting all your friends know about it, this may bring you valuable business. Remember though be reasonable with this, if you are continually sending out notices and leaving information for friends they will rapidly become annoyed and disinterested which may undo all the hard work you have done.

Conclusion

Social networking is a vital component to any online marketing campaign and it should be included but not overused. The best thing about using social networking is that you get advertising for free so if only 1% of the people in your network use your services or buy your products you will still have an amazing return on investment. Forget the power of social networking at your peril.

If you have found this article useful then you can get more information from Dazines – search engine optimization, London UK.

Dazines – a href=”http://www.dazines.co.uk”>website design and webdevelopment company London UK

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

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Two Days – 30 Vendors – 30 Specials – 30 Games – TONS of Fun Plus!

Join us for two days of fun filled shopping … Save that liquid gold they
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Join us in the Vendor Fair Room at Mom Chats at 10:30am EST on Wed. the 27th. I’ll be kicking off the shopping event with prizes and great deals. Check out the deals for shoppers on my Vendor Page

The Forgotten Forum Introduction by S McIntyre

Hello, my name is Sophia and I’m from Beautiful BC, Canada and home to the 2010 Winter Olympics. I started working in late 2002 in various online endeavors. I own a work at home website, a health blog and moderate three work at home forums. I’m looking forward to contributing and getting to know you all better.

How hard was that? Not hard at all and it only took me about…oh…30 seconds if that, to let everyone know who I am and what I do. Forum introductions are an integral step and is just as important as reading the forum rules. Don’t short change yourself by posting an “empty” introduction. Remember, first impressions always counts.

As a forum owner, I’m well aware of how many people “forget” this all important step. While many forums have a free section for members to promote their businesses, how beneficial is it to make your first post a “post and run”? I can honestly say if a forum requires an introduction your ad just met the delete button and even if they don’t, it’s simply forum etiquette. Forums are invaluable tools and it should be utilized to its fullest potential.

How many people who are looking to join a home business or looking for a specific product would seek out a member who only posts in the advertising forum? It’s not many to my knowledge. Would you enter a room full of prospects only to pass out your business card and leave? I don’t think so.

If you made your introduction and then secluded yourself to only one section of the forum it doesn’t mean your job is done. In fact, that is just as bad as not introducing yourself, in my opinion. The next step is to read the forum and join in various discussions, share your knowledge or expertise. Post quality replies to topics of your interests. Now you’re actively networking and it is proven to be more effective in creating sales for yourself. People are more likely to buy from people they know and trust.

Taking full advantage of forums and what they offer goes beyond articles that tell you how you can increase sales and how to drive more traffic to your site. As an active forum member you are getting yourself out there, building trust and networking with potential people who may become your new and returning customers. They are also your word-of-mouth. You have now created your own viral marketing and it’s far more effective than being a “post and run” poster.

S McIntyre owns Work At Home Space, a free work at home resource offering telecommuting jobs, articles, healthy and wellness and other work at home related issues. You can also visit her blog Healthy Perspectives, featuring an array of health topics, nutrition, fitness and recipes for maintaining a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Networking online by Corrie Petersen

Networking is something a business owner needs to do. It’s really important when you run a business solely on the internet. When you don’t have an actual store for people to come and visit, it is a little different and that’s where networking comes in to play.

Networking online is done differently than it is in a person to person, face to face event. I feel networking online is harder to do. Some people have a harder time feeling comfortable using a person online because they never talk to them over the phone or meet them face to face.

Networking online can be a little tricky. In this article you will learn some tips on how to network online successfully.

To network online you need to join networking groups. One group that I use all the time is Ryze.com. Ryze is free to join or you can pay for more options. Either way will work just fine. Ryze is full of groups that you can join that pertain to your field or business. Joining these groups and making posts is how you network.

The best way to network is to post answers to questions people ask, post your own questions and respond to those that answer, follow the daily posting guidelines and post as often as you can with regards to those guidelines, and if you write articles, post those when they fit in.

When you are a member of a network such as Ryze, you are given a page that is yours to do what you want with. I recommend you add a little about yourself and then get into your business. Make sure you give a clickable website link to your business. You can also add a button or two, but don’t get carried away.

Once you have this page in place, you are ready to visit other pages. At the bottom of each group you are apart of you will see the names of people that have recently joined that group. You can click on those to visit other pages or you can click on posts and visit the page of the people that post replies to those posts. Each page that belongs to a person that is apart of Ryze has a guestbook. One of the best ways to meet new people and find out what they are all about is to stop by and say hi in their guestbook. Do not list your business name or website. People will visit your page if they are interested in checking out what you have to offer. A lot of people will go to your page and sign your guestbook in return. You can also sign the guestbook of those that sign yours first.

When you network in person you get business cards from people. When you network online you don’t have that ability. So you make note of their site and what it is about. When you get to a point where the networking is going strong, you can ask the three questions below.

1.    What type of business do they run
2.    What type of person is an ideal customer or client
3.    How will these people benefit from their service or product

The best way to keep all of this information straight is to either create a spreadsheet or use a rolodex.

Now that you have this information, you are ready to start referring people. You do this the same way as you do in person. You can also watch the posts in the groups you are apart of. If someone is asking for a referral, go to your spreadsheet or rolodex and see if you have met someone that can help them with their need. Either send the information to the person asking directly or if you are telling the person that can help them, tell that person to tell the other person that you referred them. The other option is to tell them both.

If you continue this process on a regular basis, you will meet a lot of great people and you will start to see an increase in referrals from other people. Networking is a great thing to do, so jump in and get started today!

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant and Advertising business. She also has a free advertising tips newsletter that she creates to help others. Check out her website at http://www.virtualfreedom4you.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com