Online Marketing 1-2-3, Part 3 - Social Networking

by Bob Stovall

Getting your company involved provides access to new customers and vital feedback about your products and services.

Social networking began when the first fur-trading caveman went down to the next cave to swap info with his wall-painting counterpart. Before long they were joined by the bearskin guy and the "mammoth on a stick" guy and the rest is pre-history.

We've been doing social and business networking since the beginning of time. The only real difference in the current social networking boom is the use of computer networks to make connections. But that makes all the difference in the world.

Computer networks make it possible to reach and connect with more people faster. You can keep up with family and friends no matter where they are now living and it is now possible to have "friends," "followers" or "connections" around the globe – people that you never knew before.

In the case of localized social networking, you may even get a chance to meet your new acquaintances and do some face-to-face networking.

For businesses, social networking allows you to do more customer service functions online. Many larger businesses are now using Twitter to answer customers' questions as well as their regular phone and email support services.

For others, especially local service businesses, social networking allows people seeking specialized help, such as finding a good plumber, to ask their friends for recommendations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr among others.

Knowing what is being said about yourself or your company online is an essential survival skill in today's world. So, monitoring your personal profile or company page on Facebook, keeping abreast of tweets on Twitter and what your connections are saying on LinkedIn just makes sense.

It also makes sense to receive Google alerts on your own name, those of key employees and the company itself. I do, and while so far all that they have found has been positive – or neutral at worst – I like to keep up with what is being said about me and my company online.

What Social Network for What Audience?

If your customer base is mostly retail consumers, you'll want to maintain a presence on Facebook, Twitter and increasingly Tumblr. MySpace user numbers have been sliding down, but it is still a very useful venue for indie bands seeking recognition.

If your business is more of a B to B company, try LinkedIn. LinkedIn groups can also be an important source of information on the Manufactured Housing Industry as most of the big names, including our own Editor L.A. 'Tony' Kovach, are active there. So, regardless of your specific job in the industry, LinkedIn can be a valuable resource.

What about employees and dealers?

It needs to be understood that what your employees, dealers and associates do online can easily be linked to you and your company. Since most members of Social Networks list their employer's name in their profile and most businesses who are dealers mention who they are dealers for in their company profiles, their online behavior can reflect on you in positive and negative ways.

How you handle that, either before or after an incident occurs, is up to you, but once again – it will pay handsomely to have some knowledge of what is going on around you. Not all negative incidents online are malicious or deliberate. Misunderstandings can occur even with the best intentions. Knowing when they occur and handling them quickly and efficiently can go a long way toward building your reputation online.

Someone once said computers offer the opportunity to replicate errors at the speed of light. Online Social Networking, for its good, offers the opportunity to spread misunderstanding at the speed of light – or at least at maximum typing or texting speed. Be aware of situations where a communication about your company, product or service has been misunderstood, and put out the fires before they spread.

More information on Social Networking for Businesses

I never thought I could squeeze the quantity of information about Social Networking that fits in a book into this article, so here are a few books on the subject that might be worth your while:

Social Networking Books on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=social+networking+for+business&x=0&y=0

Social Networking is transforming how business gets done. But it is just one of several forces at work in the modern world. My specialty is the ones that businesses use online to find new customers and leads and to care for the customers they already have. The opportunity is boundless, the risk is minimal and the cost is much lower than traditional marketing strategies. But there is a learning curve. Helping you reach beyond that learning curve and put these ideas into practice is my goal. ##

Bob Stovall is the IT Manager/Web Consultant for the www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com trade journal and does contract online marketing, web development and social networking including full services and training for MH industry professionals and companies. You can learn more about Bob in a Cup of Coffee with… Bob Stovall interview featured in the February issue. Are you ready to put all the pieces of your Online Marketing strategy together so they complement each other rather than fight each other? Websites, blogs, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, online directories and email all work together to build a synergistic online marketing package to produce leads. For more information on building an effective Online Marketing strategy, visit Bob Stovall's Blog on this website. Bob has been marketing online since 1991. He has investments in manufactured housing, owning homes in communities and buying and selling land/home packages. He also holds a Manufactured Housing Installer Manager Certification in Kentucky and is a member of the KMHA. He is involved in online marketing for several Real Estate companies and MH Communities and businesses from all over the U.S. and the world.
Connect with Bob at LinkedIn or Orange Cat Productions, Facebook, Fan Page or follow him on Twitter.