Social Networking....how to not do it.

Never in the history of human kind has it been so easy to reach out and touch so many people virtually instantaneously.

Whether we are using twitter or face book or MySpace or just plain old email, as far as marketing your product or service goes, the world is at your fingertips. But how to do it effectively is the question, not how to get more people to follow me, because if you do it right then the world will come to you, do it wrong then you will just become another anonymous spammer.

First of all, do not set out to target numbers. Target your message. Get it right. Sit down with old fashioned pen and paper and list who you want to get your message to. That’s right, marketing 101, identify who you want to sell to and why.
Do not make your message generic. I am not generic and neither are any of the other millions using social networking. If you want to sell your product to teenagers, make sure your message targets them specifically. I would suggest actually talking to some real life people first, ask them what they think. Trends change quickly and you need to know what’s in and what’s not. Social networking is a commentary on real life, so don't discount the actual world, get out there and see for yourself, social network marketing should be used with real world marketing.

Do not overuse social networking. How to become a spammer in one easy lesson! Your message should not be overused, mix it up, get creative and above all ration its usage. If you bombard your target market with the same message over and over again you are going to alienate them and ruin your reputation extremely quickly.

The key to social marketing is remembering that it is a privilege if some decides to follow you. Don’t take those people for granted and treat them with respect. While social networking gives marketers a huge advantage that they have never had before, it gives the consumer an even bigger advantage as they now have the power to make you yesterday’s big thing with a simple click of the mouse.