The Business Value of Social Networks

As a business person trying to create sticky customers you owe it to yourself to ask the above question and investigate the potential that is represented by social networks on the Internet.

If you are reading this you have joined Biznik but there are many other social networks to consider such as: MySpace, Second Life, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Spoke, Sales Spider, Classmates, and Xing to name a few. I counted over 114 in a recent Wikipedia article.

Maybe it's the word "social" that misdirects most businesses from exploring the business potential of these on-line communities. But the truth is, social networks are great places to let those who know you, and those who discover you, learn more about what you do. It's no different than joining a Golf and Country Club to network while enjoying the game.

Two recent examples of the benefits of social networks to my business come to mind. I received a note from an individual who had a similar interest in history but also noted that I had expertise in telecommunications. They wanted some advice on making a technology buying decision and I was able to consult. In one of my postings I put a picture of myself with my dog and my piano. I captioned the picture stating that besides my work and family, my dog and music were my passions. This led to a number of contacts and ultimately I was asked to consult on web content.

This reinforces the point that follows. In developing social network profiles you are advertising and promoting yourself and your business. You are rounding out the picture of who you are so that other members in the network see you as more than the business. Yes you may get bombarded with messages and contacts from people that you will never do business with. But you will also find that the networking will lead to new opportunity.

There is another good reason to participate in social networks that can prove invaluable to your web marketing. When you join a network and put your website or blog links in your profile you are making yourself more visible to search engines. That has a huge added benefit when someone is looking for the kinds of services or products you provide.

So don't separate your social network from your business web presence. And make sure that what you put in your social network profile will not lead to any potential embarassment. An inappropriate posting could have consequences to your business.

Here are three summary points to consider in joining social networks.

1. You have to go into these networks with a plan. Put information on your profile that will serve you best. A picture of you drunk with a beer in hand is not a smart posting.
    
2. You have to keep the information on your social network sites up to date. The more times you make changes the more visible you are to those who have links to you.
    
3. You have to link whenever possible your social network sites to your business web presence. The more links you create to your other web locations will yield better search engine results.

You'll soon see the value that social networks can provide as you meet more and more business opportunities through them.