Top Three Tips to Make the Most Out of Online Social Networks

May 12, 2008; 04:32 AM

Small business executives are experts at hyper-tasking. While it’s great to be your own boss, you have customers to keep happy and vendors to pay, which can leave little time to be strategic, uncover new leads and grow your business. Social networking sites are great for reconnecting with old contacts, but that doesn’t translate into time well spent – especially if you’re connecting to the same people across multiple sites. Here are three tips to get the most out of your online networks:

1. Make sure the site you choose offers sales opportunities.
A lot of sites are designed to help job seekers. Instead, look for a site with actionable sales leads such as Government Contracts, and learn how to position your business for contracting opportunities with the Federal Government. Some sites have new leads every day, so it’s worth scheduling 10 minutes each day to see what’s new. That time could translate into a new agreement worth thousands – or more!

2. Determine whether you’ll learn something from the site, such as how to more effectively market your products/services and website.
The focus of marketing is people. If you’re concentrating efforts on your product/service or profit only, you’ll miss the mark. Learn to “target market” the right group of people for all your marketing efforts. The more statistics you have about that market, the more precisely you can develop an effective marketing strategy.

3. Can you augment your site with links to forums, photos, audio and video?
There are lots of ways to grow your business, but in this visual, viral age, anything that can give you an edge over the competition is worth it. For example, consumers are interested in working with companies who are going green. If you’re using environmentally friendly methods to run your business, grab your camcorder and create a video short to post online.

Source: ZANA Network is a comprehensive resource for small businesses that want to expand and gain a sharper competitive advantage. Unlike portals or social networking sites such as LinkedIn or MySpace, ZANA Network provides selling, buying and partnering opportunities, business guidance and essential services, and enables entrepreneurs, inventors and professionals to come together in a community for mutual benefit. Visit www.zananetwork.com.
Contacts

For ZANA Network
Monica Seidel, 203-546-2094
seidel {at} birnbachcom(.)com