Common Social Networking Mistakes

There are a few mistakes that people make when using social networking sites to try to get more exposure for their business. These mistakes can be minor and not amount to much, or they can be fatal and cause you to lose your business and never make contact with anyone.

Naked Profile.
If you try to use social networks by just signing up and sending bulletins and emails to people, you’re missing the point entirely. If you don’t have a profile that’s the first thing people notice. You’ve already ruined your credibility and made yourself look like a scammer. Anyone who doesn’t take the time to at least set up a simple bio page has nothing to present. Even if you add friends, what are they going to see? No one wants to do business with someone they don’t know. To them you’re like a stranger lurking in the shadows with no real identity. You also want to have a nice picture of yourself so they will see it when your activity comes up in the search engine of the site. If you don’t have a picture people see you as the default no pic blank photo and this makes you look like you’re not professional or trustworthy.

Your About Me Page is all about your business opportunity
This makes you look like you’re broke and you need someone to sign up for your opportunity because you need to pay your light bill. Your about page should be about you and who you really are. It’s not the place to promote or advertise. People want to know you, not what you do or how much money you make.

Too much hype
We already know that your business is the next best thing since buttered bread, but when you have too much hyped up claims about how your business is making you a millionaire in three days, we can see right through it. If you’re that rich why do you need to use social networks at all? You should be on a warm sunny beach somewhere enjoying your good fortune.

Sending ads in comments and friend emails.
Oh boy..that one is a big no no. When you use your friend’s comment box to post an ad or banner for your business, you’ve shot yourself in the foot. Do you honestly think they’ll sign up for your business just because you shove it down their throat?

Put a link or a banner on your profile just in case someone wants to know what you do, but the main thing you want to do is present YOURSELF as someone who is credible and has a handle on who you are as a person.

Social networking is all about making friends, being helpful, and being REAL.
People want to do business with people they can identify with and who they can get to know as a friend first and foremost.

If they want to know what you’re doing to make money online they will ASK YOU. Then you have the opportunity and the PERMISSION to tell them and they won’t feel like they’re being sold to.

Rebecca Beasley has been online for 16 + years and has written
hundreds of articles to help newbies and oldies alike.
© July 13th 2008 All rights reserved

Tags: branding, bulletins, e-mail, howto, internet, introductions, marketing, networks, profiles, social

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Permalink Reply by Nishit Kumar on February 9, 2009 at 10:38pm: What can one say to this lucid, hard hitting and absolutely on the ball comment. Excellent and makes all the sense in the world is how I would sum it up
Nishit Kumar
nishitnk@yahoo.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Bennett on February 11, 2009 at 5:19pm: Awesome information. Thanks!

Elizabeth
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Beasley on February 20, 2009 at 3:38am: When I wrote this article I never expected such an awesome response and I want to thank everyone who has digged it and linked to it on their blogs. This has been the most response I've ever gotten to anything I've done in all these years online.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Rebecca Beasley; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tammy Phelps on February 28, 2009 at 9:03am: Rebecca,

I also have to agree with you. You must feel very proud that everyone resonates with how "real" you are and you share the truth. You can hear your passion loud and clear.
As a coach I share with my students 1st and foremost the critical missing aspect of business today is... the lost power of Networking. I find it amazing that during my live presentations that 250 "like minded" individuals can sit shoulder to shoulder for 3 days straight and not even now who is to their left or right. It is so much fun and creates such a different atmosphere when I literally engage them in participating with me in a "networking game!"
Thank you again for this much needed article. Even though you shared this last year it is obviously still so needed and hits home with so many of us.
I will definitely share this with my real estate coaching students at our next hands-on meeting and will link this to my blog and websites. Its a breath of fresh air to see and meet so many REAL people who share the same sentiment.

Have a great weekend...

Tammy
www.TheRealDealInvestmentClub.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Arthur Rego on February 28, 2009 at 11:47am: Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for sharing these valuable points.

Kind regards

Arthur; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Candace O'Brien on March 2, 2009 at 6:43pm: Hi Rebecca, Thank you for your insites. I much appreciate them.
Candy; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by tami herman on March 7, 2009 at 11:55pm: Thank you Rebecca. I am a newbie and this is good! Hope you have a chance to visit my Blog.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bookkeeping Success on March 17, 2009 at 2:09pm: Great suggestions. The key for me is to be helpful. A lot of times we get a slew of posts promoting products or services. I think it's important to build a relationship first before we "move in together", so to speak.

Great information!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Humph Schriek on March 17, 2009 at 8:55pm: Excellent post and right on!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mialoni on March 26, 2009 at 10:19am: Thank you Rebecca, this is very helpful for someone just new to the network marketing. I guest I have a lot of reading to do, because I'm afraid, I've made some of those mistakes and hope it's not too late to fix them.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rebecca Beasley on April 5, 2009 at 1:03am: It's never too late to start learning how not to make these mistakes.
Just start over as if today is the first day of your life. Because it is!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Darlene Dell Shoff on March 30, 2009 at 1:34pm: Thank you for the information. I'm new at this and I want to take in all that I can. I appreciate your clarity.l; ▶ Reply to This