Social Marketing Optimization

Building Social Communities to Push Products

Written by Brenda Stokes for Gaebler Ventures

Social communities and social networking has taken the Internet and the business world by storm. More and more businesses are utilizing this broad method of communication to push their products. So how can you use social communities to push your own products?

You've heard of the many social networking websites -- Facebook, MySpace, Yuwie, and many of the remaining 200+ websites that are on the Internet today.

You are probably a member of one or more of these websites so that you can stay in touch with friends and family on a daily basis.

But there is a little something that makes these sites unique and it is your ability to build strong social communities within them that will enable you to push products within your business.

Here is how it is done:

1. First, you request to add people to your "friends" list. What is great about social networking is that no one you market to is being marketed to unwillingly. They look at your social networking profile when they view your friend request and know who you are when they approve you.

2. You can post status updates several times throughout the day to remind everyone on your friends list that you are there. Since people get busy in the hustle and bustle of life, they need reminders throughout the day that your business is there to service their needs.

3. When you post status updates, you can inform your friends of specials, new product launches, and any news surrounding your business. If you do not have any specials or such to announce, you can post what is going on within the business that day. For instance, "Today has been a busy day and we love it!"

4. There are several types of social communities that you can create through social networking websites. You can create a group or a fan page (Facebook specific). They essentially operate the same way. You can also create a regular profile page depending on the social networking website you are using.

5. There are ad programs that are offered by social networks as well. They operate exactly the same way as your typical pay-per-click advertising program. You set your budget and your ad will be displayed on the network.

6. You can join as many social network sites as you can handle. Make sure, however, that you do not join more than you can manage because potential customers may decide to interact with you via these sites. You do not want to have long periods of time in which you do not interact with your people. They will forget about you due to the inconsistency.

Building an online presence has become so much easier due to the social network craze. You can link your friends to your website or your blog. You can even sell them products directly through the website itself.

You do have to be consistent, though. You must submit posts on a regular schedule. You should also make sure you offer promotions of some type just for your friends to take advantage of so that you can gain new customers. But although new customers are important you want to keep the existing customers on your friends list happy as well.

Fortunately, building social communities to feature and push your products will inevitably make you more profitable.

Brenda is a graduate of California State University and a professional writer covering a variety of business topics. To learn more about Brenda, check out her website at The Digital Inkwell.

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