Networking communications

Now’s the time to start using social networking to amplify your article writing and marketing efforts.

The original social networks were built at coffee shops, dinner parties and anywhere else people gathered to chat. While that type of networking has certainly not gone away, online social networking, like Facebook and Twitter, has forever changed the way people communicate with their colleagues, peers, friends and family. As social networking has grown in popularity, both individuals and businesses have found ever-increasing value in expanding their networks online.

Communicate With a Purpose

Social networking, when combined with article marketing and other promotional techniques, can turbo-charge the effectiveness of your entire promotional program. However, just like with article marketing, social networking requires a well thought-out plan and an effective routine for execution. That plan should have 3 primary objectives:

1. Listen
   • Listen for ideas for your next article set.
   • Listen to others to learn how they use the platform to communicate (Check out this previous blog post on avoiding common social networking mistakes).
   • Listen to develop your own voice and personality for communication.
   • Listen to the competition and discover what they’re doing.
2. Connect
   • Add your social networking accounts to your EzineArticles Expert Bio (click on the “Social Media” drop-down menu and select the networking site(s) you are using).
   • “Friend” or “Follow” people with similar interests. Use our Expert Authors on Facebook and Twitter features to find other authors that are connected to social media and filter them by category.
3. Speak
   • Automatically post your new EzineArticles submissions to Twitter when they are approved.
   • Join conversations related to your niche and position yourself as the expert.
   • Explore applications that syndicate your posts across Facebook and other social media.

Keep in mind that this is a cyclical process that can be repeated for various social media sites and article niches. Also, EzineArticles has made the whole process easier by including the “Share This Article” Box at the bottom of every article. This box is the fastest and easiest way to share an article you find.

Now is the perfect time to incorporate a social networking plan into your article marketing program. Give it a try and leave us a comment about your social networking efforts.

Posted by Marc, Communications Manager on July 20, 2010 at 10:12 am | 3,562 views