by Ted Saul

Congratulations, you signed up for a Twitter account; but now what do you do?  This is a question being asked by thousands every day.  Perhaps it’s Facebook, Wikipedia, MySpace, or one of the lesser known sites such as Digg, Yammer or Connect.  While each one is not exactly the same, they all fall under the umbrella known as social networking.  And, no matter what you think of when you hear this term, social networking needs to be part of your business strategy.  Failure to do so may result in ignoring a large target market.  But how to implement such a plan and where to start can be an intimidating task.

The first question to answer is what you hope to accomplish by social networking.  Most likely you want to either build your business or grow your personal brand or develop personnel relationships. The latter is the main reason sites like Facebook and MySpace have grown exponentially.  But the first two are excellent reasons to find a tool or methodology that fits your business to develop your social networking strategy.  Additionally, figure out who you are trying to reach and where these people can be found.  Once these goals have been established you have a number of means of achieving them. 

Here are three general approaches.  First, blogging is an excellent way to show what you know about a subject.  This type of networking can help build a community of readers seeking answers from you.  Your brand develops in this area of expertise by writing a short but valuable paragraph or two on a specific subject area on a regular basis.  Micro-blogging on the other hand is the use of short comments to your followers or friends.  “Tweeting” within Twitter is one example of micro-blogging.  Once the correct audience has been obtained, short comments are sent out that can be used to communicate upcoming sales promotions, changes in operation hours or even announce a dinner special on short notice at your restaurant. This method is an excellent way to communicate information in a non-intrusive and inexpensive manner.  Finally, a business related networking website such as LinkedIn not only allows for connections with customers and business professionals but also provides an excellent forum to discuss new products with your customers.  Additionally you can gather valuable market research for planning purposes.  This type of social networking can also be a source for employee recruitment as well as provide background information on potential hires.

There are numerous resources available at the library or bookstore that provides more detail on specific tools.  No matter which strategy you chose, remember that the key to success is to participate on a regular basis.

Ted Saul is a business coach and project manager specializing in new business startup.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or TedSaul787 on Twitter.