Have you jumped into social networking yet? Perhaps you are a little more involved with your LinkedIn account, or you have asked your teen to help you create a Facebook profile. You are making some friends,
checking things out, but it feels like there’s something missing.

Whether you are spending a lot of time with your social networking or just dabbling, make sure to check out these mistakes so that you don’t do the same thing most people are making.

Social networking is a powerful place to build quality relationships with great people. These relationships are the foundation for building a tribe of raving fans who can’t wait to promote everything you do and what you stand for. Isn’t that what we all want? It is completely possible through social networking, when done right. And relationships are based on WHO YOU ARE, NOT WHAT YOU DO. It is the little things, like what you do on the weekends, where you vacation, what books your read, what movies you like, are you a family person or not. THESE are the reasons people connect. Preferring you over your professional peers for expert advice comes later.

But don’t feel bad if you read this list and find you have made some of these mistakes. We all have. Most people learn by their mistakes.

1. Ever sent a “friend request” without a message that clearly connects you to the person? In my research, over 90% of all friend requests are anonymous, even with people who know you. Even though we have too much stuff on our plate, we have to slow down if we want to build quality connections over the internet. First make sure you have reviewed the profile of the person you are attempt to connect to. If you can’t see their profile, then do a quick google search. You must have a reason to connect with someone and let them know what it is. Social networking is not about quantity. It’s about quality. Second, include a personal note in each friend request connecting you to them.

2. When you post comments on someone’s one or send them a message, do you include a “signature” with a link back to your web site? Survey after survey shows that social networkers consider this spam. Only include links when it is relevant to the conversation at hand.

3. When someone asks “what do you do”, do you refer them to a sales page for more information? Or copy the sales content into a message? Social networking is not about selling. It is about building quality relationships. As I mentioned earlier, build the relationship first and your friends will want to purchase and share when the time comes.

4. Do you spend all of your time making new friends in your social networks? Because we look to our peers for information, there is an expectation that you will share good information. This information should be a combination of expert advice from yourself and others.  Because there is so much information in the Web 2.0 world, we rely on each other to help help sort the relevant information from the trivial and unimportant information.

5. Do all of your comments and messages direct people back to YOU for more information? In my research, the main reason people delete a friend, is because that person comes across as selfish and self-absorbed. The social networking world is a cooperative environment based on sharing. If you can’t get past yourself, or you feel like everyone is competition, then it is probably not the place for you.

I am sure you have heard me talk about the two reasons people visit the internet: connections and content. In this world of information sharing, people are looking to the peers for advice and direction. So building a network of peers for this purpose is necessary. To build quality connections, make sure to “fix” these problems quickly.

The best news about social networking is the community is very forgiving. If you make a mistake and it’s brought to your attention, apologize and fix it. And then go on. None of us are perfect. Even when we know the rules.

Generally speaking, there are three types of events in Facebook: Events that you host, events that you are the featured expert, and events that you attend. Only one of these should be hosted by you in your social networking/promotional campaign, but all can be promoted by you.

1. Hosted events: these events are hosted by you. You are responsible for getting quality attendees and should, therefore, be the creator of the event. If you are hosting another expert on the call, then use his/her name
and expertise to help spread the word.

2. Featured Expert events: these are the events that YOU are featured as the expert. The event is typically hosted by someone else, unless you are featuring yourself. These events should be created by the host. Make sure to share the event with your network by “sharing” to your wall and even inviting some of your favorite friends.

3. Events to attend: these events may be hosted by favorite friends and/or relevant to your passion, expertise or interest. These can be shared to your network by using the “sharing” feature on the event and by sending private messages to friends. When you attend an event, your response is sent into your news feed for all your network to see. This is a great way to promote your friend’s events and relevant opportunities.

Sometimes, it makes more sense to use your affiliate links when you are promoting an event. In these cases, you should direct people to the correct web page and not to the Facebook event. But remember, social media is a
community of sharing, so make sure to be considerate.

You may have noticed a recent survey I did about what online business owners want and how they want it. Turns out that most people really want to know how to get more traffic to their website.

Whether it is converting your social network onto your list or just getting more eyeballs on your site, there are a few key techniques that work to create a steady stream of quality people checking out your stuff!

1. Drive traffic to your blog. Whether you have a website or you are active on Facebook or Twitter, you want to be strategic about the links you include in your “about me” section. Our 21st century way of doing business is about connecting and conversing. So your blog is going to be a better choice to carry the “conversation” than your website. Conversely, directing people to your blog over Facebook is also the better choice because this brings them closer to you, gives them a taste of your business and your brand, and allows you to actually track the visitors and the subscriptions.

2. Post on your blog often. I recommend at least 3-5 times a week. You want to include short tips and relevant information to your market. The more you post, the better the search engines like you and the more valuable you are to your market.

3. Share other people’s content. Review blogs daily and note valuable content. When your competition posts something of value, review the post on your site with links back to his/her site.

4. Guest blogging. Allow other qualified experts the ability to post quality, unique content on your site. This allows you to be the hub of information in your industry. Allow your guest blogger to include a “resource box” at the end of the article/post with a link back to his/her site. You can also be a guest blogger on someone else’s site. Make sure that the blog is complimentary to your services as you do want to attract people interested in what you have to offer.

5. Article marketing. This is my favorite strategy for driving quality traffic. You can post your article on various “portals” or directories that host your articles for people interested in republishing your content for their own newsletters or publications.

It sounds like a lot of writing, but don’t forget that you can repurpose your articles to be used on multiple sites. Make sure to repurpose at least 30% of your content so that Google doesn’t knock you down, but also so that you customize your content for the different readers. And create a system around when you post, what you post and where you post. This will help you keep track of what you are doing and how much time to spend.

In the internet world, there is an overwhelming amount of information at our fingertips.

But I want to know what kind of information you really want to learn in order to build your business and your lifestyle the way you want them. Plus I want to know specifically how you want that content delivered.

Here is a quick 2 minute survey to get your feedback…

Click here to take the survey.

This is a MUST-READ for everyone who wants to know more about social media including Facebook and Twitter. My good friend Mari does a fabulous job of laying out the “ABC”s of social media in the article she just posted on her blog.

According to Mari, the ABC’s are:

• Automate
• Broadcast
• Connect
• Delegate
• Evaluate

She also provides a slew of options for simplifying the whole process. I have taught most of these to my clients as well!

Make sure you read her article and let me know what you think! Does this remove some of the “mystery” of social media for you? Article - The ABC’s of Social Media

As a good friend and raving fan of Mari Smith, I make sure to read all of her blog posts (and much of her other social media activities). Earlier this week, she posted an interesting article about someone who “hijacked” her tweet that included a link to a company she was endorsing. The person changed out her link with his own company’s link so that it looked like she was endorsing HIS company and then retweeted.

I am sure this has happened before, but I hadn’t heard of it. In fact, it had never occurred to me that people would do that. I am sharing this story and a link to her newest blog post that updates the story as I think it is a must-read for anyone participating in social media including Twitter.

Read the story here.

Let me know your thoughts!

MaryPat

PS. Thanks Mari, for sharing this incident and for keep us in the loop on the most positive ending!

We all know how beneficial networking can be for our business, but as a busy solo-professional it’s not always convenient or possible to spend precious time attending networking functions. Plus how many of those events are filled with entrepreneurs just like us who understand the challenges and thrills of being a H0me-based business mom?

Not many, I know!

I am excited to announce that I’ve been invited to be on the Advisory Expert Panel for the brand new National Association of H0me-Based Business Moms - “NAHBM.” The NAHBM, which supports moms in business, is kicking off with a fr*ee Virtual Networking Luncheon on March 31st (tomorrow)! I would like to invite you to participate.

This Virtual Networking Luncheon is a fr*ee call and is a great opportunity to meet and network with other like-minded women, find out what NAHBM is all about, and get your questions about running a successful H0me-based business answered.

JOIN ME, BRING YOUR LUNCH (I will have mine) and meet 10 AMAZING MOMPRENEURS!

I am so excited to be a part of NAHBM because their focus is on the three key areas that I know are critical to building a successful H0me-based business and happy life as a working mom: Empowerment, Education, and Enlightenment.

Plus, NAHBM’s panel of experts will be sharing information and tips in all the areas that are important to us moms, NOT just business. So in addition to sharing information on topics such as marketing and sales, you’ll also learn tips on parenting, health and fitness, time management and getting organized, and much, much more.
And, your first Virtual Networking Luncheon is on NAHBM!
That means you don’t have to be a member to participate in this kickoff call. We want to give you a chance to come to a meeting, see what we’re all about and meet some of our members and experts.

To learn more or attend, simply go to http://sn.im/nahbm and register for the NAHBM Fr*ee Special Report and weekly ezine. When you do, you will also receive call-in details for the Virtual Networking Luncheon on March 31, 2009 at 11am PT (2pm ET).

If you can’t make the call, you can still register for the Special Report and complimentary ezine subscription where you’ll receive tips and advice every single week from me, and the other 15 NAHBM Experts, to help you make the most of your business and your life.
I hope to “see” you on tomorrow!!

MaryPat Kavanagh
NAHBM Social Networking Expert

Contact:

Jacki Wojcik
The UpLevel Agency
866.615.8150
jacki@uplevelagency.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 22, 2008

Award-Winning Business Coach, Kelly O’Neil and Social Media Expert, MaryPat Kavanagh Team Up to Take BiztechDay By Storm

Expert Duo to Speak at Genius Desk During Small Business Technology Expo;   O’Neil To Moderate “How to Make Your Blog, Video, Podcast, Social Network Viral” Panel (more…)

MaryPat Kavanagh, chief marketing strategist, has extensive experience in marketing and small business since 1989. She has owned retail businesses, restaurants and consulting practices and has been extremely involved in her community through local Chamber of Commereces, networking organizations and professional development organizations. (more…)