Social networking sites can be overwhelming, especially if you are a business person new to them. Should I be on MySpace or Facebook? What is LinkedIn? There are so many sites popping up.
As with all marketing tools, my advice remains the same, stick to what you can manage. Only do what you can do well. You should also pick sites that you are likely to enjoy using and where you can find prospects and customers. And along with that, have a plan.
Here is my plan: LinkedIn for business contacts, but only those I would recommend, i.e. I have done business with or have talked to enough to understand what they offer. Facebook for personal contacts. This is where you will see funny videos of my toddler and pictures of family vacations. It is also where I can connect with old friends so I’d like to keep business to a minimum here.
Now, do I list my business web sites on my Facebook page? Absolutely. You never know when that high school acquaintance may need an email marketing strategy.
And you may decide on a different strategy, that’s fine, just have a strategy. And check in with the sites on a regular basis.
You can get some ideas from Friday’s Washington Business Journal article on this subject (I am quoted in regard to LinkedIn):
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/10/06/smallb1.html?page=1