Recently, I made a post about a “Online Communities – A Marketing Fad that Can Kill You“. Well, you might not want to set a community for your business, but joining a community is certainly good for your home-based business.
This example, DirectMatches.com, focuses strictly on the business community. This is unlike the other social networking sites that are much more generic in nature. They have more than 65,000 members. Why is social networking important for the small business especially? As a small business, you do not have as wide a network as you would if you were in a huge multi-national organization. Using a business networking site is really a short cut to hooking up with potential partners and even customers. We all know that in business, your network is your net worth.
There is little risk, as the registration is free. Also, this site has been around since 1999, which should give some peace of mind as to their credibility. The site looks pretty much like any other networking site, but their emphasis on business owners is clear to see. As business owners, we should leverage as much as possible, all avenues of marketing.
Do not think of marketing as merely your ads or your promotions. Your network is as much a part of your marketing efforts as any above-the-line activity that you do. Take advantage of these networking sites. They are a good leverage against your larger competitors.
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[tags]networking, business owners, business networking[/tags]
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