7 Tips to Build Your Visibility and Credibility with Social Networking

If you think MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites are just for kids, then think again. Authors, entrepreneurs, entertainers, non-profits, and businesses are using social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook to promote who they are and what they do. Having a professional social networking presence can build platform, sell books, attract attention, and generate leads for your business. When used correctly, it will boost your visibility and credibility generating the results you want.

To get you going with this quantum networking tool, here are 7 Expert Tips to jumpstart your success in social networking.

1. Maintain a Relationship Building Mindset 
As in any networking situation, successful networkers build relationships before going for the sale. If your intention is to build credibility and visibility, then use social networking to do just that. Leave the "get rich quick" banner ads for others. Use your presence to cultivate name recognition and trust; then watch the sales come in.

2. Be Professional 
Apply the same principles of good in person networking to MySpace, Facebook, and all the rest. If you wouldn't say, do, or share it at a regular networking mixer, then don't say, do or share it on social networks! So unless you're a swimsuit model, leave the scantily clad photos for another place.

3.Suit Up and Show Up 
Social network success doesn't happen by magic. Simply putting up a page isn't enough. Pick 1-2 social network sites and utilize them; start off with 10 minutes a day and gauge your results. If you don't play the game, you can't win!

4.Make it Easy for People to Learn More About You 
Use your pages to post links back to your website, opt-in page, book, blog, or whatever you're promoting. Cross post or run RSS feeds of your blog, podcast, and media releases on your pages for an extra dose of visibility.

5.To Have a Friend, You Have to Be a Friend 
Your kindergarten teacher was right- don't expect the world to flock to you. Get out there and mix with the community. Share comments, kudos, and ideas; find friends and make friends. Generate reciprocity with all that you do.

6. Balance the Personal and the Professional 
Relationships are built by genuinely connecting to others. On many of these sites, you can share things about yourself that people otherwise wouldn't know such as your musical tastes, favorite books, and heroes. Use these components to reinforce trust and likeability. You'd be amazed how many client relationships began on MySpace simply by discovering two people loved the same song. For an example of this, check out my page on MySpace

7.Don't Be Afraid to Delegate! 
If you have a trusted assistant (or even a MySpace adept teen), then delegate out the tasks of maintaining and growing your social networking presence. Don't let "no time to do it" keep you from enjoying the benefits of quantum marketing. Use someone else's time and enjoy the results.

Building visibility on social network sites is easy. Building credibility requires you to approach it with a relationship building mindset. If you go into it with that attitude, you'll be amazed at how being authentic will pay off in the end with increased exposure, higher visibility, and yes, maybe even some financial rewards!

Nancy Marmolejo is the author of Make MySpace YOUR Space, the definitive guide to small business success on MySpace. Learn how to tap into the quantum power of social networking by reading Nancy's book, available at www.MakeMySpaceYourSpace.com . While there, sign up for Nancy's free 7 part audio course and enjoy the many resources she has for boosting business visibility.

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