Making connections
Social media is all the rage, but what's the right strategy for online networking?If you're a business professional who believes that online social networking sites exist solely for the sake of singles, high school kids and college students, you'd better think again.
The MySpace generation has spilled over into the corporate world, with millions of registered users getting connected on business-themed social networking sites like LinkedIn, Xing, Plaxo, Hi5, Ryze, Ecademy and Konnects. These sites promote themselves as the 21st-century technique for business professionals to connect with potential new customers and like-minded business associates, and as a good way to build brand awareness and attract investors.
But does that mean you and your business simply must have a presence on a professional social network? Do you need to be on all of them, or should you be selective? And if you do choose to tap into the world of online networking for the sake of your career or your business, how much effort should you put into it?
"Business professionals should ask themselves why they want to be on a social networking site in the first place," says Daren Brabham, a teaching fellow in the communication department at the University of Utah, whose research interest is online crowdsourcing. "You can use them either for promotion or for collaboration and networking. Just know that the more promotional you get, the more likely people are to ignore you."
The basics
Business-oriented social networking sites let professionals build an online network of friends and associates within a cyber community. You can post a profile, your resume or job history, education, areas of specialization and other facts to help you make connections. Most sites feature e-groups, forums and question-and-answer pages about various business conundrums.
The sites are usually free to join, but some may charge fees for enhanced services, like seeing who has visited your profile. You build a network by distributing online invitations to associates, and once you connect with one person, you can create even more connections by linking with associates in their network.
If you choose to jump on the social networking bandwagon, do so with the same professionalism you would bring to a client meeting, say the experts.
"The same standards for who you choose to associate with in face-to-face situations should carry over to the online world," Brabham says. "Don't be annoying. You shouldn't exploit your online professional social network. People become involved in social networking sites because they want to connect with people, not businesses or pyramid schemes."
Network success
For business professionals looking for a better job or trying to advance in a current one, "LinkedIn is the [social networking presence] you absolutely have to have," says Jason Alba, the CEO and founder of JibberJobber.com, a Herriman-based company that provides Web resources for job seekers.
"If you are a professional who wants real value, [LinkedIn] allows you to, one, find people, and two, be found by people. If you don't do anything else, you must have a profile," says Alba, who wrote a book on the subject: I'm on LinkedIn--Now What???
"I get e-mails every day from people who use their [LinkedIn] connections to improve their situation," he says.
It worked for Robert Merrill, a computer programmer who has been on LinkedIn for about six years. His connections have helped him land jobs and helped him find the resources to create his weekly Internet podcast, "Couchcast."
Social networking "is a very lightweight way to stay in touch and stay relevant," Merrill says. "I connect with people I have had meaningful interactions with, [and] that gives me the chance to connect with literally millions of other people."
A hole in the network
But business-themed social networks don't necessarily help a business thrive, says Wacey Richards, owner of Bench Creek Consulting in Woodland, Utah.
One of his clients, a restaurateur, was an eager LinkedIn user who had a strong list of contacts. Nevertheless, when a vendor "simply disappeared" one day, and the client had no way to track him down on the network, the restaurant was out a critical supply of fresh seafood.
"There is a real business-to-business disconnect" in social networking services, says Richards. "It's great to build relationships with each other, but there's no link between businesses."
Richards envisions a new networking concept that brings businesses together to meet complementary needs. A restaurant owner who suddenly discovers that his load of salmon and halibut has gone missing "could find another vendor right away, just like finding a contact in your address book."
Choosing a network
So you want to give professional social networking a try. But with new business-themed networking sites seemingly springing up every day, how do you know which one to use? Should you be on as many sites as possible? Or is it better to maximize your efforts with one or two?
"Be selective," advises Brabham. "I don't think people need to be too wrapped up in multiple social networking sites. The popularity of these kinds of sites is fleeting, and sites can become overrun with ads, spam and teenagers in a matter of months."
- LinkedIn is designed to help you build business contacts. The site features tools and features that can help you network in a professional online setting, with straightforward page designs that are easy to use.
- Xing gives users the ability to post a profile that lists their business interests, professional experience and a description of what they are looking for. Members can decide who can view their profile.
- Plaxo offers users a high-octane online address book along with its social network and features plug-ins for Web-based services like Flickr, YouTube and LiveJournal for sharing across the Internet.
- Hi5 is truly global, with users in more than 200 countries. It is available in 23 languages and is the No. 1 Spanish-language online community.
- Ryze provides user profiles and classified ads that give members the ability to search for jobs.
- Ecademy offers a variety of business-themed forums, along with a marketplace that allows users to advertise. Members can also join clubs and groups to meet other members.
- Konnects focuses on the entry-level professional or business, designed for people and companies who want to build their first professional circle.
Comments
I think Mr.Brabham's comment is a little misleading. "The popularity of these kinds of sites is fleeting, and the sites can become overrun with ads, spam, and teenagers in a matter of months." Is very much irrelevant in the case of business social networking sites because teenagers are not going to go there to find the social interactions they want and the sites design them selves to dissuade such actions.
Teenagers are not going to flock to LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc because they do not have any of the features found on MySpace, FaceBook, Hi5, Bebo, etc. They are completely different social networks providing completely different services to completely different crowds.
LinkedIn is designed for business professionals and its’ designed for people who want to help their careers and meet like minded business people. Everything from the widgets offered to the layout of the profiles are designed with business and your career in mind. That is not appealing to the MySpace crowd.
There is a question in the article about “should you be on a social network?” The short answer is yes, yes you should. The Long answer is it depends. It depends on the nature of your business, of the goals and aspirations of your company, the products you sell and where your customers / potential business partners are found.
Social Networking is just one section of the broad set of tools and communication methods known as Social Media. With 74% of adult consumers believing that companies should be involved in some form of Social Media and 20 % of fortune 500 companies beginning to engage in Social Media in some way, developing a strategy involving social networks (yes even the ones “overrun by ads and teenagers”) is becoming more and more critical.
Social Network are not fleeting either. FaceBook and MySpace each have over 100 million users and have done nothing but gain popularity year by year. When properly and carefully leveraged you can gain a new audience you never had access to before and engage your customers in ways that excite them and get your name out. Many companies are turning to social media to do much more of their marketing and customer engagement and finding that when done right (and yes it’s very easy to do wrong) they get exposed to more potential customers and get more loyalty to their brand.
I have been researching social media and it’s applications for business, pr, marketing, customer service, tech support, branding, etc for over 2 years and in those two years the one major thing I have seen is that social media (especially social networking) is growing. Social networks are growing… not shrinking or fading away. Social media becoming more and more what the web is evolving into. Social media is not fleeting, it is not a fad it is definitely not diminishing, it’s growing everyday while newspapers and other forms pf traditional media are shrinking and dying. Within a couple of years the web will be completely changed from what it is now and the companies who aren’t developing the strategies to be involved are simply going to be left behind.
Woops, forgot the disclosure part, I am a social media consultant and yes you can find me on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/royalantsjosh
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