Repurposing Your Social Marketing Copyright (c) 2008 OnlineBizU.com I'm lazy by nature and like to do as little work as possible. Therefore, when I have the opportunity to automate tasks, I jump at it. As I started getting heavily involved in social networking, I quickly became frustrated with having to update my status at several sites, as well as trying to figure out how to introduce my blog, my articles, and my ezine to my social networking audiences. After much trial and error, here's how I connect and repurpose all of my social marketing strategies: Read more... [Repurposing Your Social Marketing]

Create a good profile on your social network How you would like to meet and communicate with other internet users, especially ones that share the same views and beliefs as you do? If you would then you may want to think about joining a social networking website, if you haven’t already done so. When it comes to easily finding and communicating online with other internet users, social networking sites are, perhaps, the best way to go. If you are interested in joining a social networking website, the first thing that you will need to do is find a network to join. You can easily find a number of networks by performing a standard internet search. For the best search results, you may want to search with the words social networking or social networking websites.  In your search, it is likely that that you come up with a fairly large number of different networking sites.  Popular sites that may be included in your search results may include, but will not be limited to, MySpace, Orkut, Yahoo! 360, FriendFinder, FriendWise, Facebook, and Classmates. Read more... [Create a good profile on your social network]   Social Networking: What is Social Networking? Social networking, we have all likely heard of it before, but not everyone knows what it means?  If you were asked to define what social networking was, would you be able to give an accurate definition. Unfortunately, most individuals cannot, even though it is likely that they participate in some form of social networking, especially online. Social networking is defined as the grouping of individuals together into to specific groups, often like a small community or a neighborhood. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in schools or in the workplace, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions, if not more, of individuals who are looking to meet other internet users and develop friendships. Read more... [Social Networking: What is Social Networking?]   Trends in Social Networking The team from Beyond Search, the research arm of Arnold Information Technology, conducted a survey of business professionals, interviewed more than 30 business writers, and compiled supplementary research to provide a wealth of data about the implications of social networks for organizations and professionals. The team analyzed the information focused on social networks and distilled its research into the top ten trends leading into 2010. Most of their research shows trends that would be relevant to larger businesses, but there are a few that pertain to small businesses including photographers. Here are a few of my thoughts and you can read the full Press Release below. “Marketing via social networks will displace direct mail and slower, more expensive ways to build brands and identify prospects.” This trend has already begun and will increase going forward in 2010. On the graphics side of my business I’ve certainly seen a drop in printed materials in favor of pdf documents, website updates and email campaigns with a slow adaptation of social media. Companies are finding they get much higher qualified prospects without the cost of traditional methods. Photographers can take advantage of these same technologies and target higher qualified prospects through social networks like twitter, facebook and linkedIn. A fresh blogsite with interesting content and great portfolio images will help to draw them in. Providing relevant information via email subscription will enable you to keep in touch with prospects on a regular basis. This doesn’t mean traditional methods don’t work anymore because they do, this is just another option to explore and will cost little to try. “Corporations will continue to invest increasing resources in social media, almost always at the expense of traditional media, despite the lack of clear direction and metrics to determine return on investment figures.” Social media reminds me of the mid ‘90s when companies were jumping on the website bandwagon. They were spending incredible amounts of money on sites not knowing if they would pay off, but did because everyone else was. For some visionaries, getting in early paid off big and other companies were left behind. Read more... [Trends in Social Networking]