No matter where your business social networking interests lie, there’s an online social community for you. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re looking for communities catering to your business interests or just your personal interests; a little online searching can turn up a lot.
If you want to make the most of business social networking, it’s crucial that you not just find the communities that will reward your efforts, but that you also learn the dynamics each one. Remember, every online group is unique. Your college alumni group on Facebook will probably operate very differently than a forum where skiers exchange information and advice. Joining online communities can be a great way to boost your online brand—whether it’s your personal brand or whether it’s your business brand—but it’s important to learn the rules of each community, and it’s important to follow them.
If your company wants to make an impact by leveraging its business networking, then you’ll want to find out where your audience is. But that’s just the first step. Additional time must be spent on figuring out how your audience relates to one another. In most cases, it takes a lot more preparation than just signing on and giving everyone your marketing pitch. That’s usually just a way to get branded as nothing more than rude marketer.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. In our experience, we’ve found that a company rep or a marketer will be accepted into an business social networking community—whether it’s a forum, a Facebook group or a niche social network—if that person takes time to foster real relationships and takes time to help community members.
That’s the new blueprint for fostering great consumer relationships. And believe it or not, it’s not that difficult. Many who have used this kind of business social networking engagement strategy have fount that it’s not only one of the most enjoyable parts of their day, but it’s also a great way to get tips, news and opinions that they may have otherwise missed.
