If you’ve tried or considered social marketing to groups, such as those found on Yahoo, Google and any of the various other Web 2.0 sites that have the facility, then you won’t be surprised to learn that there is quite a diversity of opinion as to whether or not this is a complete and utter waste of time, or not!

On the surface, it looks like a great idea - a rabid group of devotees in your niche, all salivating to see what wonderful things you’ve got to sell them!

WRONG!

In fact, you coming in without first developing relationship, trust and some value among the congregants therein, would almost certainly be a disastrous entrance!

Instead, if you were to locate such a group as this, take the time to become a valuable contributor before even adding anything in your sig file, much less promoting a link; you might very well be rewarded with an authority aura, one that  will lead to so much more than the odd sale here and there.

Think beyond the quick hit!

~Keith

In a venture more many-headed than the legendary Hydra, having a social marketing strategy is not only a good idea, it is a virtual necessity!

You can spend literally weeks and months floundering around, spending a great deal of time on many different networks without really accomplishing any of what you initially set out to do. Or did you really set out to do anything? Hmmmm?

First things first. Decide going in what you’d like to accomplish with all your socializing. Decide to focus on just a few elements to get started: for instance if you have a business focus, perhaps you’re active on LinkedIn, Konnects or Ryze, along with utilizing Twitter, Pownce, Tumblr or others depending on your niche and which ones seem to make the most sense to you.

The key here is to make a consistent, useful contribution, wherever you choose to light. Obviously if you have a staff or outsourcers this can become easier. Just remember, posting once a month will not go far in making you the authority figure in your market, or even result in many connections at all!