Networking Socially on an Internet Business Platform
Whenever there is a coffee table discussion about
Web 2.0 among tech savvy revelers, the focus invariably turns to social
networking sites because of the way they have transformed Internet behavior
patterns globally. Social networking happens to be the fastest growing
segment on the web with new web sites, portals and applications being
announced every day.
What is Social Networking
The single most distinguishing feature of the current
tidal wave on the Internet is that it provides a forum for two-way communication
and active participation. Gone are the days when the Internet was merely
a one-way conduit for information research. You can not only seek information
today on the Net but also, comment on its quality, add to it, promote
it and even rate it on a point rating scale. Social networking also gives
surfers opportunities to talk to one another, develop friendships, associations
and long-lasting relationships not necessarily restricted to dating romance
and marriage. Like-minded individuals who share a common passion—short
wave radio for instance—can form their own group or social network. Businesses
too have found that the Internet provides a powerful forum to network
from a business perspective which eventually streamlines and promotes
the process of buying and selling of products and services.
Three Ways to Leverage the
Power of Social Networking for Business Growth
Building online communities with a common social agenda
is no longer fashionable today, it has become standard practice. As long
as there is place on the band wagon, here are three reasons why you should
do so quickly assuming you haven’t done so already:
Beyond the First Wave
If you own or operate an Internet business or are
thinking of doing so, the social networking segment is one that you should
carefully consider. Social networking sites allow you to build your company’s
profile on the site complete with streaming video, pictures, podcasts
and rich descriptive textual content. This allows your company to cash
in on the phenomenal visitor traffic these web sites experience every
day. Many net surfers visit these social networking sites to simply “look
around” and browse web pages. Moreover, it is easy to locate businesses
in a specific category because of the high quality of search functionality
these social networking sites possess.
Back Linking and Page Rank
Secondly, your company profile on a social networking
site can generate valuable back links for your corporate site which in
turn has the potential of improving your page rank. As long as these back
links are meaningful with appropriate anchor text, the benefits can be
worth the effort.
Lead Generation through Social Networking
A confirmed and stable presence
on a social networking site provides you with access
to other companies and their accompanying profiles.
This can serve as a valuable marketing tool and can
help you identify potential customers who may have a
need for your products or services. The sales leads
you will generate through your listing are warm because
you are already sharing a common communication platform
with your potential customer base.
Social networking sites to choose
from
Although FaceBook, MySpace and Orcut
are the obvious choices, there are others which you
should seriously consider. These sites have an almost
exclusive business focus and welcome corporate participation.
They include:
- Linkedin.com
- Ryze.com
- Zominfo.com
- linkya.com
You should actively consider
incorporating social networking on your marketing mandate
because of the current trend toward two-way interactivity
and the potential for immense business growth.
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