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
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
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Darius McGadney on -
Hey there, I'm Darius and I agree that are many reasons that you can not be successful and mistakes can be fatal to your site. I was recently trying to join a site but I didnt hava anyone to instruct me and I was successful. now I've joined a self -automated system that does 90% of the work for you. yeah thats right 90% and you also have me to instruct you and answer any questions you may have. If you need any more info click on my banner
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Permalink Reply by John Jakobs on -
Thanks for the tips! I am brand spankin new and see room for improvemnet already. I will employ your tips and build my page. Thanks again. John Jakobs
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Permalink Reply by Irma White on -
Great article, Rebecca.
The social networks are great places to meet potential business partners and/or customers. But, unless they know, like & trust you, there is little chance of this happening. Thus, social networking is about relationship building.
I especially like your point about posting ads on people's comments. It is very annoying. I personally don't approve them.
Be empowered to prosper!
Irma
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Permalink Reply by carol stanley on -
It seems to me that this networking is a two way street. You give and you take...Share some of your best working ideas...I have learned a lot particularly from this site. I am immediately turned off when I receive constant promos of other's businesses...I want to know what you do and how I can be of help. Simple enough...I think it is important to ask others for help. YOucan learn a lot
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Permalink Reply by Dana Kataoka on -
Thanks, You know these are things that I pretty much felt in my heart as well. It just goes to show you your conscious will tell you everything you need to know. This place seems really great with many great caring people. Nice to see that on the internet!:)
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Permalink Reply by Leonard Taylor on -
Great info photos will be up soon
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Permalink Reply by Joe Moore on -
Thanks Rebecca for a lot of good information. I am new and from what I am hearing and learning so far I should be concentrating on building a good profile as well as establishing friendships on the site. I will continue to explore the site and learn...Thankyou...Joe Moore
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Permalink Reply by JANICE M BACKUS on -
Hi Rebecca,
What you said is so true and too many people have a lot of hype on the internet. I have been in business for over 40 years in the real world as I knew it. Now the internet businesses is available and since I am not familiar with how it is all put together, it confuses me.
I have an understanding of manufacturing, quality control, personnel, bookkeeping, purchasing, sales marketing and have set up several companies with policies, practices and procedures and accounting but the way it is done on the internet is new to me. I need to take what I know and learn how to apply it to the internet so I can do my own business on line. The problem I have is getting someone help take me from point A to point C. Just picture yourself going into a library you have everything at your fingertips but where in the world do you start? I was a secretary 20 years until a man came into my office and told me I needed to go into sales and I could make a lot more money while helping other people. I decided to quit and it turned my life around somewhat. I had some failures but better than that I had a lot more successes until my husband got sick and after 20 years of sales I had to quit work and take care of him until he passed away. I have a lot of energy and very active for my age and can work circles around a lot of people younger than me. Most people think I'm in my 50's. I said that to let you know I need help because I don't have time to waste trying to learn the hard way. It is so much easier working smarter. When I went into sales, I had a mentor and was top salesperson in the 5th region of the US helping people understanding speech. That position required 20,000-30,000 miles a year on my car and I would prefer setting up my own business on the internet giving me more time for other things and not having to replace my car every year.
I hope I have not broken any rules in writing this to you here but I'm not marketing a product and I have found that most people don't really want to help they want to sell you something without actually talking to you and really answering legitimate questions. Many of them evade your questions with more information about their products. I don't know if it is me or if others have had the same problem.
Don't you think that sometimes people do things not knowing what they did was wrong. When in business without help you are going to make mistakes and that is how you learn. I have made mistakes with help sometimes because I misunderstood. Most the time in the real world it is not as hard as the internet. If you get taken off the site and don't know what you did wrong, how will you learn?
Janice Backus
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Beasley on -
Janice if you were successful in the real world, it's just as easy to be successful online, the rules aren't really that much different. I see that
you've already added me as a friend and that you contacted me here is
not a problem at all. I got a notification in my e-mail that brought me
here. Isn't that neat?
One thing that will help you is that you have already been in sales and
you know the rules of the offline world, basically it's just the same
except that online some of the things you can sell can be stored on
your hard drive and you never run out or have to worry about inventory or shipping.
Information is a hot selling item online and if you can send an e-mail you can pretty much sell anything. The main thing you need to do is learn how
to use some new tools, like an autoresponder, for instance.
If you can write about your experiences, you can start a blog or a newsletter.
You might be a newbie to the online way of doing things, but you have a huge head start on a lot of people because you've already been successful in selling offline. Use that experience and you'll be an expert at selling online in no time.
Even if you don't sell anything, you have experience with customer relations I'm sure, and that's another great asset to have. Just use your own God-given talents and find something you're good at and go from there.
If you need me, just holler and I'll come running.
Becky
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Permalink Reply by JANICE M BACKUS on
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Can you go to my site and look at the pictures and help me find the correct place to blog or where to go to post a newsletter. I have some products I want to sell and would like to know how well they will do on the internet as opposed to going to biker events. I may need to find out what people are buying on the internet and try something different. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Janice Backus
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Beasley on
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Sure I'll be more than happy to help.
Just click my picture to contact me directly.
Becky
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