Build Your Online Network Now To Escape the Recession

Now that the dust is settling on social media a little, it’s time to  think about what it can mean for your business. Initially, people  flocked to My Space and Facebook because it was viewed as a new  technology “toy”.  Many of us have reconnected to people that we  hadn’t spoken to for over 20 years and had done a little social “voyeurism” to  see what they’ve accomplished and what they look like now. The most powerful  thing to me about social media is that people respond to it. This is  meaningful, because the interpersonal sales effort is all but dead.  People don’t pick up the phone and seldom respond to email these days.  A post on a Facebook wall can elicit a response instantaneously however.

No one really “needs” to connect to someone they haven’t had a desire  to talk to in twenty years, but it is an interesting phenomenon.  Networks help us in all kinds of ways. The saying, “It’s not what you  know, it’s who you know” holds truer today than ever. Building a  personal network through Facebook and Linked In build top of mind  awareness for your personal “brand” and may help to unearth new  opportunities for business. This may mean reaching out to past  friends, casual acquaintances and business contacts. Once your network  is well established, you may ask “friends’ to “like” your business on  Facebook. This has the effectiveness of a third party testimonial and  builds a foundation of trust in the online community. Encourage  testimonials on your Linked In page to leverage selling opportunities  there. It’s time to start building your network for success; all it  costs is a little time.