Page 166 - Social Media Marketing

Tapping the Power of Social Media Marketing 151

or resume, do it. You can find me at www.AboutRalph.com.
www.myspace.com/ralphroberts.activerain.com/blogs/ ral
phroberts.www.linkedin.com/in/ralphroberts, and several
other social networking sites, in addition to my own web sites
and blogs.

• Get connected with influential people. In the world of so-
cial media, communities often assess your trustworthiness by
the people with whom you associate. If influential people in the
community give you a positive recommendation, others in the
community are more likely to buy from you. As you establish a
presence online, enlist the help of influential colleagues to val-
idate your credentials and post positive comments about you.
Most social networking sites, including LinkedIn, allow peo-
ple you know to post comments and recommendations about
you. Also, try to get other top web sites and blogs in your
industry to link to your web site and blog to improve your
credibility.

• Interact with your clientele. Look for ways to engage your
clientele directly online via message boards, blogs, Q&A sites,
and other social media venues. FaceBook, for example, which
at the time I wrote this book reported receiving an average of
250,000 new registrations per day, allows businesses to create
and promote mini-social networks to the site's 65 million mem-
bers (to learn more, visit www.facebook.com/business). Prove
your expertise on topics related to your industry by answer-
ing questions and offering insight and guidance. Another great
way to interact with your clientele is through your own blog, as
discussed in Chapter 11, "Blogging Your Way to Credibility."

• Meet your clientele face to face. Seek out opportunities to en-
gage with clients offline. One of the goals of social media is to al-
low people with similar interests to locate one another in order
to set up face-to-face meetings. You might consider schedul-
ing a get-together, seminar, or workshop that enables your
online connections to gather and gives you the opportunity