How To Get The Most Out of Your Social Networking Sites

If you look at all the websites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter they are getting more and more traffic every day. Social networking sites gained a lot of credibility in the past 2 years and corporations such as Dell, Home Depot, and even celebrities as Kathy Ireland, Ellen Show, Today Show and Oprah! They finally get it! They use it as their Public Relations tool and it does work! They use social networking sites to build audience, increase traffic to their sites and gain popularity.

Now lets talk about how to build your audience with sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. I will share few tips to help you to understand how to do it the right way without hurting our credibility.

Before you open your page on Facebook, Twitter or Myspace, remember people hate advertising. They want to get to know YOU and want interaction with you. I want to share very simple things you must remember.

How to get the most out of social networking sites:

1. Target specific audience. Research your niche, your group of professionals you want to connect.
Use tools such as WebCEO.com for keyword research and find niche forums and invite people to follow you on Twitter in your signature file. Connect with them and slowly bring them into your circle of friends.

2. Be a super thought leader- give value by sharing your education, knowledge, your thoughts about certain matters. As my mentor Dani Johnson told me “Underpromise but overdeliver” Then people would say WOW and follow you and be loyal to YOU.

3. Be authentic. Be yourself. Do not be something you are not. You will pay later. Smile to people. My recent blog post “The Power of Smile When YOU Tweet” became very popular because of being authentic.

4. Include a lot of links to your blogs, links to your Hubpages, your newsletters, your Twitter page, your articles, your videos. Let people to find you just on the blog!

5. Encourage people to contact you via forms, links that are included on your blog, private messages on Facebook, Twitter or Myspace. Give them a good reason to connect with you. Make a good impression!

6. Participate: groups and online discussions. Create events, invite people to attend them. Give complimentary newsletter and do giveaways and create viral effect by letting them share your information via Retweet feature on Twitter as example.

7. Make it easy for people to find you using keyword phrases in your discusssions, your twitter posts and etc. I recommend to use Google Alert services and new TweetBeep, similar to google alerts but for Twitter only.

8. Have fun! If you do not have fun using these sites, just do not do it. No point to do that if you have no passion. Check Gary Vee and Tony Robbins on Twitter. They are rock stars of social media. They talk with passion and you could feel it via their posts.

9. Engage into conversations, it is not blant advertising. It is about connecting with the right niche, presenting the right message and providing solutions for your audience.

Social networking is about PEOPLE. Help them to get what they crave. Have Fun. Smile. Enjoy it!

(c) Copyright 2009 Tatyana Gann. All Rights Reserved.
Tatyana Gann is an high income coach, an online marketing mentor, a social media expert, a professional connector, a mom of two great boys and an amazing hostess. To Learn More About Tatyana Gann, visit her site: http://www.ImmigrantSuccessDiva.com