People are flocking to social media sites in droves, and for good reason.  Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook and Twitter are fast becoming a primary method of “prospecting” for customers for your business. 

Indeed, social media can be an extremely effective way to get more people to take a look at your business opportunity

But it must be done right.

There are 2 major mistakes that I see people doing repeatedly in Social Media:

Mistake #1:  The Hard Sell

Most of you probably already understand that the “social” in social media means just that — you must take the time to “socialize’ with people, allow them to get to know you and see that you have value to give before they will take a look at your business.

So how is this done? 

It is done with consistency and becoming an online presence in your Web 2.0 community of choice.  And it is done with giving value to your followers without asking for anything in return.  

It is done by learning the art of the “soft sell.”

For those of you not familiar with the term “soft sell”, it basically means that you don’t lead with your business in social media.  The fastest way to lose followers and even get banned by some of Web 2.o sites is to blast people information about your business opportunity or product.

While you may truly believe that you are adding value to people’s lives by providing this information, everyone on the Net is getting bombarded daily with thousands of pitches and new opportunities, and yours is just one more on the list.

You must stand out.  And you can stand out by providing free value to your followers, no strings attached.

The “hard sell” — banging people over the head to look at your business — will NEVER work in social media.

MISTAKE #2:  The Follow-Up Link

The other big mistake I see people making in social media is their follow-up link.  That is, where you are sending your followers for more information. 

As most of you probably already know, there is always a place on every 2.0 site to put more information about yourself (for example, a profile).  This is also the place to put a link to a website where your followers can go to learn more about you. 

What do most people do? 

They put a direct link to their business opportunity or product site.  OUCH!! 

Most times, people aren’t ready for that.  They want to know more about YOU, the person. 

If you are providing cool stuff on Twitter, for example, your followers may want to see what else you  are up to.  This is where a personal blog or hub is perfect.

By sending your Twitter or Facebook followers to your blog, you are allowing them to get to know more of what you are about.  And of course,  you should put a link or a page on your blog regarding your business.  That just makes good sense. 

But to send your followers directly to your primary business capture page is a recipe for disaster in social media. 

There are many other mistakes people make when using Social Media as a prospecting tool for their business, but these are two of the biggest offenders.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Social Marketing is the new darling of the business world.  You’ve all undoubtedly heard about it:

MySpace, Facebook, Blogging, Twitter, and Social Bookmarking.

But what does it all mean?

Who is using it and how are they using it?

Does it really help grow your business?

I just received an email from Michael Stelzner, author of Writing White Papers:  How To Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged. 

Michael sent me a link to his new white paper, “Social Media Marketing Industry Report.” 

Very cool stuff here, guys.  A must read.

Among his findings:

• Most marketers are NEW to social marketing, having only been using it for a few months or less
• The number one advantage to using social marketing is, not surprisingly, generating exposure for your business.
• The top 4 social media tools were (in order)
  • Twitter
  • Blogs
  • Linkedin
  • Facebook

There were many more interesting findings.  It’s definitely worth your time to check it out.  To read the complete study, go to:

http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/report/

If you wish to follow Michael on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/mike_stelzner

To your success!

Dr. Bob Clarke

How Does Dr. Clarke Make HIS Money Online?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.