In almost any new endeavor, you can get up to speed faster and easier with the guidance of an experienced pro. Social networking is no different. It’s both art and science. Yes, there are certain standards and conventions to follow, and you need to understand how social networking sites work, but it is rather straightforward once you learn the basics. Making the most of your online network, however, is an art.
Many technically savvy people participate in social networking, but their level of technical skill doesn’t always translate to the level of their success. To win at social networking, you need to find the right balance of technical know-how, marketing savvy, networking mastery, and street smarts.
If you’re new to social networking or your social networking campaign isn’t generating the desired results, turn to a master social networker for advice. There are three main ways to benefit from a master social networker: Tap the expertise of your own network, learn by observation, or hire a consultant.
Tapping the expertise of your own network is an easy, inexpensive way to master social networking. If you can find a master social networker to take you under his wing, you’ll also enjoy the benefit of hands-on assistance, whether your mentor is a personal contact who lives around the corner or an online associate across the country. Duncan followed this method when his new online contact, PR executive Kyle, offered to barter his PR savvy. As an independent green building consultant and first-time author, Duncan knows a lot about green building, but he is rather “green” when it comes to PR skills and the world of social networking. His collegiate daughter, a fan of MySpace and Facebook, convinced her dad that social networking could help him promote his book and business, but neither had any experience in developing a solid online campaign.
As the head of his own PR firm, Kyle has many years of expertise in developing solid PR campaigns. When the popularity of social networking began to grow several years ago, Kyle invested significant time in mastering the world of social networking and social media. He’s since added online campaigns to his publicity arsenal, with great results.
Using the collaborative power of the web, Portland-based Duncan and Atlanta-based Kyle met and formed an alliance that benefited both. Duncan needed a buzz-worthy social networking campaign for his new book on green remodeling. In exchange, he gave Kyle some free advice on how he and his family could make their home more eco-friendly. Thanks to this alliance, Duncan was able to learn social networking from a master, and he was able to do it in his own network at no cost to him.
Learning by observation is another inexpensive option. If you don’t personally know a master social networker, you can still learn from the masters. Spend an hour or two on your favorite social networking sites reading the profiles of others. You’ll soon find the people who stand out as the leaders in their community.
Sara tried this approach when her initial foray into social networking didn’t work out as planned. Sara’s goal was to locate a more lucrative business analyst position with a larger company. She joined several business-oriented social networking sites, created profiles, and waited for good things to happen. They didn’t. Discouraged, Sara was about ready to give up on her social networking job search campaign. She had heard so many good things, but it obviously wasn’t working for her, and she didn’t know anyone who had much more expertise than she did on the topic.
But before giving up, Sara decided to take a look at what others were doing to see if their approach was different from hers. After reviewing more than a dozen profiles of other business analysts, Sara began to see a trend. Some profiles matched hers—rather basic and utilitarian. Others seemed to take a different approach. Their profile really “sold” their expertise and qualifications—without an obvious sales pitch. In particular, Sara found three profiles created by other analysts around the country that she really admired.
She decided to give her social networking job search campaign a complete overhaul. She revised her profile on each of her target social networking sites, asked key colleagues for recommendations, included links to presentations and volunteer work she performed for her professional association, and participated in forums and other community areas to showcase her expertise. Soon, recruiters started contacting Sara for the opportunities she was seeking, and her revised social networking campaign was on its way to positive results.
If your social networking goals relate to your business, you may be in the position to hire a social networking consultant. The main benefit of consultants is that they will be dedicated to your success because it’s their responsibility to do so. It’s hard to pressure an unpaid mentor to spend more time with you, answer your questions, or give you extensive help.
Larry is the VP of marketing at a small sporting goods manufacturer. He and his marketing team need to vie for consumer attention against their more well-known competitors and have decided an online campaign that incorporates social networking would be a great marketing tool. The only problem is that no one on Larry’s staff has expertise in this area, and they can’t hire any new staff members. They do have a consulting budget, however. Larry decides to spend it on hiring a top consulting firm to develop a killer campaign on MySpace and some niche sports-related social networking sites. The consulting firm also trained Larry and his staff so that they can continue the campaign after the consulting period ends. Although this option required a monetary investment, it was money well spent for Larry’s company, which introduced its innovative, original campaign within six weeks of hiring the consultants.