So you are out there marketing on your favorite social networking sites, but I am willing to bet money that unless you have been one of my readers for awhile and taking part in my training, you are doing it all wrong.
Now I know that for some of you this is repetitive, but the best way to learn something sometimes is to hear it over and over again…so I am going to cover the basics one more time…
So when you are out on the net and you are building your social networks, there are a couple very important things that you want to remember. One of them is that you want to be branding YOU and not your company and product.
The problem is that people who don’t know you, surely don’t want to get to know your product. In rare cases you may get a straggler once in awhile who decides that your product looks good, but wouldn’t you rather have MORE people contacting you than one every so often?
When you are not branding yourself and are branding a product or a company, people whom you add as friends are defensive right off the bat because they KNOW that if you are coming at them AS the product that they can almost be guaranteed that you are going to try to market it to them.
Now that method used to work actually when MySpace was on top, because people could find you through searching keywords, but those days are long gone. With the sudden popularity of Facebook, you now want to make sure that you brand you so that people get to know the person behind a product.
Also, it is not good to build your reputation based on this product because what happens if the company closes down, or you decide later that it just was not right for you? Well then you would have to start all over again, and that can be heart breaking if you have a huge network…
So the #1 important thing getting started is SELF Branding.
The next important thing is not to be going to the social sites and blasting your link to your company or product to anyone with a pulse. The way that I teach people to do this, is by starting a BLOG. It can be about ANYTHING that interests you. It could be about sewing, fishing, football or Stamp collecting. Your BLOG is what I call your “HUB”. It is a place for you to send people and meet people who have similar interests as you.
See when you are blasting your link all over hells half acre, it is like you are throwing something against the wall and hoping it sticks…when you have no adhesive to help it to do so…
Meaning, you have NO relationship with these people…and a BLOG is an excellent way to create that. Heck you can even use a BLOG to make a little extra money to fund your advertising. That is what I used to do…
So the #2 thing in order of importance is to start a BLOG. You can get a self hosted WordPress BLOG, which is what I highly recommend because of the Search Engine advantages, or you can start a free one at www.Blogger.com.
If you want a WordPress BLOG, you have to set up HOSTING at DREAMHOST first and then read my posts on WordPress and watch the Videos that I have under the “Videos” tab.
Once you have that going, then ALL of your links from all your social sites go to your BLOG and NOT your marketing sites…
When you send someone directly to a marketing site, what do you think they do in most cases?
Yep…that’s right they hit the back button faster than you can blink your eyes, and in that moment, you just lost that connection in most cases for good.
But if you send them to your BLOG, and you are posting about your interests or hobbies then they will most likely stay and read to get to know you. And if they have a similar interest, they will even make a comment on your posts…and then off to the side, in no bodies face, you simply have a link to your marketing pages or product pages…
This lets people see that you are not just out to sell them something. You are giving them value first as well as a chance to possibly get to know you on a more intimate level, and believe it or not people still desire that even though we are all online now. We still like to connect with people.
You also want to make sure that your BLOG is not one big advertisement. I have see this too and WOW is that an excuse to leave ASAP. If I see a BLOG that is 40% ads or more, I just leave. I don’t care how good the articles are…that is just not what I want to see personally in a BLOG.
So lets recap this post:
- Brand Yourself
- Send people to a BLOG and not a Marketing site
If you can do just these 2 things starting out, you will have more success than 99% of people out there who are trying to get exposure using Social Networking.
It takes some work because you will have to post on your BLOG, but it is actually fun once you start writing about things that make you happy! You will also only attract people who you will actually have fun working with as well..so it’s a win win!
Let me hear about what you have been doing…success…failures…lets hear some comments and help you make some changes…
Enjoy!
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Comments (8)
Comment from Elizabeth Edwards:
May 12th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Hi David,
I am starting to keep up with your posts, and so sorry to miss hearing you last night, but looking forward to next Monday.
Question – by ‘branding’ yourself, do you mean to put your picture on your website so that people see you? I get the BLOGGING thing, and understand the steps necessary to set up so that the BLOG hits all of the networks you are interacting with. It is the graphics I am concerned about, as I just had mine done, and am working on two websites, as I have two different businesses, and want to do this right the first time around, because I want to be able to start shipping product in August.
Would love to see your comments.
Comment from David:
May 12th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks for the comments!
When I say “Branding Yourself” I mean everything. Your pictures, and even the username that you select. Everything that you put out there.
Be sure to sign YOUR name and not your company or product in all your emails. Send people from your email to your BLOG or TWITTER page and NOT to your marketing site.
If you have 2 businesses, then what you should be doing is a BLOG first that brands YOU and then from the BLOG, market your other sites… passively.
The mistake that so many people make is that they just go on and on promoting their product or opportunity links unsuccessfully and never understand why people don’t want anything to do with them, and so they end up frustrated and blaming the company when all they had to do was make a few adjustments to their strategies and start getting better results….
I hope this helps!
David
Comment from Dana Rankin:
May 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Hi David,
I think this is an awesome BLOG and source of information. I am using these techniques and am finding more quality traffic to my sites after listing them on my BLOG. I like to cook and exchange recipes so I have become the Recipe Diva. People are even asking me to write a cookbook! I advertise my other business there and have had some people purchase from my store because of that. I am branding myself as a cooking expert and even have a gourmet business that ties in with my BLOG. I will be sure and listen in next Monday night. Have a great week! God Bless! :0)
Comment from David:
May 12th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Hello Dana!
Thanks so much for the comment! That is EXACTLY what I am trying to teach people. It is quality and not quantity. When you use these methods, you end up with people whom you actually would want to work with. Congratulations on your Blogs success! It is all about finding your niche and going after it. So many people end up finding something inside themselves that is more marketable than ANY company or product will ever be!
David
Comment from Amy E Stroud:
May 12th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Hey David,
Great post! I’m so thankful to have found you as my internet marketing mentor! I’ve discovered that I REALLY love BLOGGING especially about topics like personal branding, personal development and success strategies. I look forward to what has become a weekly BLOG post for me and have actually found that I now have people commenting on my facebook page how much they’ve enjoyed reading my posts and are asking me for advice on how to optimize their business! If I can figure out a way to do this full time and replace my income, I’d be in my glory! I’ll get there someday..with your guidance, sooner than later, I’m sure
Thanks for all you do! I’m looking forward to our Masterminding Session this Thursday!
Amy
Comment from David:
May 13th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Thanks so much Amy for your participation!
Yes I have seen some people who end up liking BLOGGING so much that they decide to pursue it as their full time income. It is great because you get to be creative. Once you have people who like to read and comment on how much they like your creativity, it really is gratifying. I myself enjoy doing it.
I am also looking forward to Thursday nights call.
David
Comment from Jay:
May 16th, 2009 at 6:42 am
Hi David
I wish that I had started following you 6 months ago. You write so all can understand, no BS, and no hidden agendas. You get to the point quick and leave a trail that’s easy to follow. Thanks for your guidance and teaching this old dog some new tricks.
Jay
Comment from David:
May 20th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Well, welcome to the group Jay!! Glad to have you aboard! =-)
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