By Tina Hilton of Clerical Advantage
In this, the final installment in our series on building your business web presence I want to introduce the use of additional social networking sites and opportunities. In our last installment we discussed using Twitter, which seems to be the latest media darling, but there are plenty of other social networks that can help you to make connections. Below you’ll find a limited list of sites with a short description.
LinkedIn- This is a business oriented networking site that allows you to connect with other business professionals. When signing up you create a profile in which you list your professional experience and accomplishments. You can then connect to people you know, former co-workers, employers and associates and then connect to their connections and people they know. LinkedIn states that their mission is “to connect the world’s professionals to accelerate their success.”
FaceBook- Probably the second most popular social networking site right now. You can sign up and make ‘friends’ with friends, family and others. You can share what you’re doing, your latest blog posts, etc. You can also create business fan pages that allow ‘fans’ to interact directly with your business via comments called ‘wall posts’. You can add videos, podcasts, links and more. This site is not as business oriented as LinkedIn, however they have made recent changes to make it more business friendly.
MySpace- MySpace is similar to Facebook, however I’ve found a younger demographic there. This is the site musicians seem to prefer as well.
Ning- Ning allows you to join or create your own social networking site. Ning sites are customizable for your needs and include the ability to create a forum, groups and much more.
Meetup- Meetup says it helps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world. Take your networking offline by finding groups that interest you or fit your business and joining the group. Or start your own group, plan and advertise in person meetings.
These are just a small sampling of the social networking sites. You can find a more in-depth list here, where you’ll even find some some very specific networks.
And don’t forget the ‘old school’ networking option. Before networking sites began popping up, many of us were interacting on forums. You can find forums in just about any area of interest you or your business may have. A couple of great ones for virtual assistants are VA Networking and the Virtual Assistants Forums.
As you can see, there are many options available to businesses that will allow them to build a web presence. It can simply be having an active and informative website or they can add to that by using blogs, Twitter and other social networking options. And with the outsourcing possibilities available today, there really is no excuse for not having one.
If you have questions concerning virtual assistance or have an interest in working with a virtual assistant you can contact Tina Hilton or visit her business website for Clerical Advantage.
