Friend Me?

The second generation of development and design on the Internet focuses on using the Web for social networking. Is it just for fun? Or is it a valuable business tool?

When I first discovered YouTube, I thought it was an amusing time-waster. I could watch TV commercials I loved as a kid on my computer – how cool was that?

But then, however, it started creeping into my work life. Companies like Ted Berry Co. Inc. of Livermore, Maine, and Antioch Plumbing and Drain Cleaning of Nashville, along with dozens of other cleaning contractors started posting commercials and informational videos on YouTube.

And my opportunities for connecting with other Internet users in new ways didn’t stop there. I’ve received several invitations to join LinkedIn and Facebook and a few more obscure social networking sites like Timber Home Nation, which I can’t quite figure out, since I’ve never owned a timber frame house.

I also hear the word Twitter (a site where people send messages of 140 characters or less, called Tweets) more than I hear actual bird songs these days. And everything I read on the Internet wants me to approve it with something called Digg or bookmark it with something called Delicious.

This has all led me to ask: What’s the deal with social networking? Is its primary use getting back in touch with your prom date? Or is it a valuable business tool that I should recommend readers of Cleaner start using if they haven’t already?

Social networking 101

I’ll admit, I’m somewhat a novice when it comes to social networking, but I’m discovering the answer lies somewhere in between. Social networking is being used to enhance business communications, but only when the business has someone who is willing to put time and effort into it.

Since most social networks are free to join, at least at the basic level, there’s little or no monetary investment. The cost is time, but don’t underestimate that. Some large companies have created a position devoted to nothing but social networking. Others spread the duties around to five or six people. For a small business, the responsibility probably falls to someone on staff who has a full plate already (because there isn’t enough in the budget to dedicate someone full-time).

Social networking is simply communicating online and, over time, building relationships. Social networks are online communities of people who share a common interest or activity. There are a variety of ways people interact with others in their social network, from blogs to e-mail and instant messaging to RSS (Rich Site Summary) feeds that retrieve the latest content from sites users are interested in, saving them the time of visiting sites individually.

You may think you’ve never been involved in a social network, but in all likelihood you have. Have you ever posted a comment on the Cleaner online discussion forum? Did you ever leave feedback for someone you purchased something from you on eBay or review a book at Amazon? Have you offered well wishes on CaringBridge or a similar site for someone with a serious illness? Then, technically, you’ve dipped your toe into the social networking waters.

Why it works for business

Social networking can be an effective marketing tool for a business because it is relationship-based advertising. Discussion, often called “word-of-mouth advertising” has always been a useful sales approach. The Internet is just a tool to start the discussion.

Once you understand the basic uses of the various social networking sites, you can figure out which ones could benefit your business. So, a first suggestion is to explore some social networking sites. Read about them. Ask your friends and associates where they are on the Web. Play around on some sites.

As an example of how you could use social networking to market your business, let’s start with Facebook, one of the largest sites. Facebook, which has 175 million active users, is a place to make connections and is more personal than LinkedIn, which is primarily a career-networking site for professionals.

To use Facebook, you create a profile and then invite friends to join you. The beauty of Facebook is that users can look at their friends’ lists of friends to quickly grow their networks. (LinkedIn has that same benefit.)

Businesses that want a Facebook presence create profiles called “pages.” With a page, those interested in following a company can become “fans” (rather than friends). When they do so, all their friends will see this.

A business can store photos, videos and information about the company on a page. Pages are made publicly available so that search engines can find and index them. That should optimize the company’s search engine position. And of course a business will link from its social networking page to the company Web site. A company’s page can be promoted via e-mail, on a blog, and through the Facebook network to drive more traffic and build up the fan base.

Building groups

Groups on Facebook are similar to pages but are meant to be built around a group of people rather than an individual business or brand. Groups have no “become a fan” feature and do not share as much information with users’ friends as users interact.

As of this writing, a Facebook search for groups using the words “drain cleaning” reveals four groups, including Gator Drain Cleaning of Sterling, Kan., which has 46 members. The words “pipe cleaning” netted three groups, including John’s Sewer and Pipe Cleaning of Woburn, Mass., which also has videos on YouTube. The company’s Facebook group has 11 members and stated that it was for “employees (past and present) and anyone affiliated with John’s Sewer & Pipe Cleaning.”

Groups are for sharing opinions and information, and can be formed around anything from a company to an idea, like green business practices. Groups can be open or closed. Many group pages on Facebook have detailed information about a specific contractor and nice comments posted by group members about the contracting company – more word-of-mouth advertising.

Facebook also has a powerful advertising engine that enables businesses to specify a demographic target, see how many people that demographic will hit, and advertise to it. This, of course, is where social networking starts costing money.

Is it worth the effort?

After playing around on some social networking sites, I concluded that if all you do for your business is put up a page, and you don’t update it, then you’re not being very social, and the result will be very little networking.

But by putting some effort into social networking, a small company could establish itself on the Internet as an expert in a field, engage customers and bring qualified leads back to its Web site. If you are a persistent networker, constantly reaching out to interested parties offering compelling information, then you have a great chance of being able to leverage the new Web as a marketing tool.

One final note: No one likes the overly aggressive sales people at in-person networking events, and no one likes them online either. This isn’t about the quick sale – it’s about building a good reputation. And once you understand how social networking sites work, the sky’s the limit. You might tap into a whole new customer base, and, as a bonus, find out what your prom date’s been up to for the past 20 years.



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