Comments on: Friday Conversation & Giveaway :: How do you Use Social Media to Promote Your Business?

By: Suzanne - Home Business Ideas

Suzanne - Home Business Ideas — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:19:09 +0000

I use social networking to promote my personal blogs and websites sometimes. The key is to do it non-intrusively. On Orkut, whenever I update my profile, it displays my name on the home page of all my friends showing the update. I have a lot of friends and a lot of websites so it generates good traffic and word of mouth.

I use digg, stumbleupon and other SB sites to promote my sites as well.

By: Aruni

Aruni — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:00:22 +0000

Hi Wendy – I answered your question in a post I did last week called Social Media Mania – What’s A Gal To Do? at: http://www.entrepremusings.com/index.php/2007/12/13/social-media-mania-whats-a-gal-to-do/.

Happy Holidays!

By: entrepreMusings » Social Media Mania - What’s A Gal To Do?

entrepreMusings » Social Media Mania - What’s A Gal To Do? — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:44:58 +0000

[...] at eMoms at Home did a post recently where she asked her readers “How do you Use Social Media to Promote Your Business?“Â I didn’t have time to answer then and I’m sure I missed out on the free books, [...]

By: Anne Glamore

Anne Glamore — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:25:42 +0000

My blog IS my product. I don’t sell anything; I’m just building an audience for columns about everything from telling your kid about sex (complete with inadvertent coital finger movements) to tales about what happens when formerly cute toddlers grow into boys with smelly feet.

Because I focus on writing, I post less often (2-3 times a week) than many other sites.

Commenting on blogs and establishing a network among other family bloggers has been the most valuable to me.

I’ve joined Facebook and futzed around with Stumble and BlogRush but I feel guilty when I’m focusing on marketing and it eats into my “real writing” time.

I have recorded 3 podcasts but haven’t published them yet, and I wish I felt more confident about that process. I think humorous columns lend themselves well to podcasting, but I can’t seem to get over the final tech hurdle.

Additionally, my online readers trend a lot younger than those who read me in the print work I’ve done, and the two audiences don’t seem to cross over. In other words, when I publish a magazine article, I rarely see a burst of traffic on my website.

I’d be interested in knowing whether other people have been able to “convert” print readers into web readers or whether for this generation (say, lots of the 30 and over crowd– I am 40) the two audiences will remain distinct.

Finally, I do lots of old-fashioned networking outside the web: handing out cards, speaking at clubs and schools, and that seems to be as effective as anything at developing an audience for my particular product.

Wendy, I’ve enjoyed your blog; any cutting edge skillz I have are slowly improving with your help and motivation!

By: Susan Payton, The Marketing Eggspert

Susan Payton, The Marketing Eggspert — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:59:36 +0000

Good book giveaway! I’m on it!

I’ll answer your second question. I don’t use social networking much, and sometimes I feel that I’m missing out. I tried it a year ago, but found that everyone on MySpace that I tried to connect with was really a bootstrapper that didn’t want to pay more than $10 for marketing. Not my niche.

So while I fully promote the use of social networking, I have to add a caveat that it’s not for everyone, including me. However, I am on LinkedIn, and keep up with my contacts that way.

I do use blogs (my own and commenting on others) as a way to show my face at the water cooler, so to speak. It’s my socializing every day, which keeps me from becoming a total hermit!

Something that’s a bit scary for me right now is the very strong possibility that I’m about to start a second blog, on being an entrepreneur! The learning curve this time around will be infinitely shorter, so that should allay some of my fears.

By: Liz Fuller

Liz Fuller — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:58:58 +0000

I use my blog as a way to get to know my customers and to get them to know me. I am currently in the phase of building trust and relationships with my readers. I have a steadily growing list of ezine subscribers and RSS subscribers that I will eventually market my products and services to.

In the meantime, I am learning a lot about what they are concerned about through their responses to my blog posts.

I also use my blog, other’s blogs, forums and social bookmarking sites, as networking tools to get to know like-minded individuals and potential customers. This helps me learn more about the business of blogging and about my target market (women entrepreneurs).

Recently I started a series on my blog in which I profile a woman entrepreneur each day during the holiday shopping season (Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve). This has had a huge benefit all around – I get an opportunity to demonstrate some of my expertise in the area of small business development, I get to learn more about these women and their concerns, the women profiled are thrilled with the free press, and they in turn promote my blog to their network of friends and clients. Hopefully we all get more exposure and customers. I’m considering publishing the series as a free ebook as I think it is fascinating to go behind the scenes of these varied businesses and fascinating women entrepreneurs.

I’ve also started participating in virtual book tours in which I review or interview a published author. They get exposure and I get a free book!! (my favorite currency!)

Since you asked – my first choice would be Seth Godin’s book, second choice would be Michael Port’s….and of course the bonus would be great…..(:

By: Genesis

Genesis — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 02:17:56 +0000

To promote my business on social media, I try to be active in work at home mom Facebook groups (my blog is for wahms). I also use StumbleUpon and other bookmarking sites, but probably my most used method is commenting on blogs.

I would really like to explore the world of video, but at the moment, I´m too busy reading stories to my kids and building block towers. Most of my promo work is done during naps and after bedtime, which doesn´t leave me a lot of time to learn new techniques. Perhaps in the next few years, but right now I am trying to keep in mind the two cute reasons I decided to become a work at home mom!

By: Mother Earth

Mother Earth — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:35:02 +0000

My first exposure to social media was through a digest like woman’s group. I immediately thought it was a place where I could impress folks with my knowledge, and sell, sell, sell. I basically got moderated ALOT for being over eager and blatant selling. What I learned from that experience was languaging and how powerful a tool that was. When ever I posted not about what I had to sell, but about me – parenting antics, being human, single parenting – I would get a ton of woman appreciating my point of view. I find this on my blog too – posts that are raw seemingly get responses. What I established there at that digest was a credibility, one that I am told is tremendously enjoyed – who knew?? Of the 4 years I’ve belonged it took me 2 to establish repor – time and patience is obviously needed like in developing any great relationship. I only have a dozen nutrtional clients from that time. yet alot of great friends!! With my blog – in 6 months it has yet to foster a single new client yet has unfolded into potentially a rather lucrative freelance gig in writing. I am in a bit of a identity crisis because what I do really really well is mentor folks to health success and I am not ready to give that up. I want to find a way to shift my blog work to finding those that need that service. AND I want to disappear into the northern woods and write, write, write , write ( and get paid for it!!) I am blown away by blogs that make money and haven’t a clue how to do that – I can create organic traffic though!! I feel I am still in the lack of knowledge category.

if I win I’d adore the newest seth – his permission marketing concepts altered the way I work tremendously

Great questions – wendy

Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan
http://www.bestwellnessconsultant.com

By: Sarah Kimmel

Sarah Kimmel — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:03:50 +0000

I currently use a blog to promote myself online. I first started to blog to increase my search engine exposure. I have found that it has opened a whole new world for me to continue to market myself and my product. On my blog I offer free advice to help people organize their life, and while people like my blog, they like me, and I am now an authority on organization. The blog has given me an opportunity to appear on a local morning show, which helped to promote my business, and I am going to be speaking at 2 events in January about organization, one of which they are flying me out to speak! I never imagined that as I posted on my blog so many new opportunities would open up!

The best advice I have for getting the blog to work for you, is to post content that is helpful (like what you do here). My content is also very relevent to my actual product. Which ties them together very nicely, helping my search engine exposure!

By: Linette

Linette — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:14:53 +0000

Here’s my post:
http://kidsfunreviewed.com/a-little-diversion-on-social-media

By: kidsfunreviewed.com » A Little Diversion On Social Media

kidsfunreviewed.com » A Little Diversion On Social Media — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:08:49 +0000

[...] nothing to do with children, or birthday parties, but bear with me through this one post. I read eMoms at Home’s post today about using social media, and it started my brain cranking. I had to post a response, and it landed [...]

By: Denise

Denise — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:48:09 +0000

I think the most important way I use social media to promote myself and my business is by building a rapport with my current and potential customers. Being in the knitting business I find myself on the forums and other sites answering questions, or giving tips and tricks of the trade. I am also involved with some classes and tutorials through forums and other online media, and this makes me quite approachable. I am always around and visible, and available.
I find that people appreciate this, and are willing to purchase a pattern from me that might be a little beyond their skill set, knowing that I will be there to support them.

One big way I would like to promote myself and my business more, is by getting more video tutorials put together to post on my website and other video websites like YouTube. People have outright asked me to do this, and I know they would be quite popular.

Up until now it has been mostly an equipment issue. Now that I have a decent camera, the time issue is rearing it’s ugly head.
The second thing I would love to do to help promote myself online is to make over my blog into a full blown website that is easier to navigate. That can be chalked up to a little lack of knowledge (though I am married to a great resource!) and the time issue monster!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:15:57 +0000

I just signed up for Youtube today. I never thought video would be a relevant form of media for my blog, but it’s amazing how quickly things can change sometimes.

I am now facing unexpected time expenditure in migrating and redesigning my blog –thanks, Blogger — which is taking away from my ability to learn and use other social channels, which had been my primary goal earlier this week.

If I win, I’d like to check out Digital Design Business Practices.