How To Market Your Business On Online Networks?

As the phenomena of social media gains popularity, online networks are becoming excellent platforms to network with relevant people and businesses and gain exposure in the market. Business networking not only allows you to connect with highly qualified prospective customers and establish competence with them but also gives your business increased exposure in the market which further strengthens your brand value.

Here are some tips to use online networks to market your products and services:

Do some Quality Research

Online networks are excellent places to research about your market and study the various trends and mechanisms. Become a p[art of these online communities and observe the discussions closely. Listen to what people are talking about and try to analyze their needs and requirements. This is a great deal more productive than using focus groups and surveys. Based on these findings, you can develop more effective marketing strategies that deliver increased revenue.

Establish Expertise

One of the most important aspects of a marketing strategy is to establish your expertise in the market. Social media websites and online communities are great places to showcase your skills and expertise. It is more powerful than other forms of media and gets you in touch with the grassroots level of the market. Take part in discussion forums and say something useful and original to your audience. Offer solutions to their problems and contribute a valid point in ongoing discussions. This will encourage people to take note of you and link to your blog or website.

Build your Brand

All your activities on online networks should contribute to build and reinforce your brand. Therefore, make sure all your signatures, whether in e-mails, forum postings or blog comments or other online profiles carry your website link.

Be Human & Not Mechanical

Even though online business networking is a marketing strategy, don't make it blatantly clear to your audiences. For successful online marketing, you need to sound human. People want to connect to people and not company profiles. So, encourage more and more employees to participate in social media. Remember, a happy employee or a satisfied customer is a more powerful brand evangelist than a professional marketer.

Narrow down & Target

Narrow down your target audiences and identify specific groups and communities that they populate. Because of the targeted concentration, you will get higher returns for your marketing endeavors.

Start a Word-of-Mouth Buzz

If you have launched a new product of service, start a word-of-mouth publicity stunt. Ask satisfied customers to tweet about it, update their status or mention it in their blogs and offer them a reward for doing the same. This is a great way to create competence. If a popular blogger blogs about your products or services, think about all the exposure (and web traffic) that you will receive as a result.

Disclaimer :  Sabra Easterday is the owner and founder of MatchB2B.  Sabra is also a lawyer with a special interest in business issues and e-marketplaces.  Notwithstanding that Sabra Easterday is a lawyer, nothing in this article and no services of MatchB2B or its website are legal services and no attorney-client relationship exists between any reader of this article or user, customer or potential customer of MatchB2B, and MatchB2B, its website or Sabra Easterday.