Social networks were supposed to be the next big thing among businesspeople last year but, while they are catching on, adoption has been slower than expected, according to the results of Pew Internet & American Life Project's December 2008 tracking survey.
The number of U.S. adult Internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has quadrupled over the past three years. One-third of that population has a profile on sites such as Myspace, Facebook or LinkedIn. However, that figure pales in comparison to the 65 percent of teenagers who use social networks.
Here are five ways adult businesspeople can use these networks, in particular Facebook, efficiently.
1. Set up separate pages tailored to various purposes: one account for personal messaging, another for professional, a third for special hobbies or interests. That keeps business contacts from learning you are part of the "Star Trek Fan Group."
2. Understand that these sites can be huge time sinks. It's tempting to search for everyone you went to high school with—whether to reconnect or to brag. Set a routine to check in and stick to it. This way your page will be updated regularly, but you won't start losing customer sales because you're constantly updating your status.
3. Speaking of customers, the nature of sites such as Facebook makes it easy to keep in touch with your contacts. For those still using the Franklin Planner system, the marriage can be uberproductive. Set up a profile just for your business, invite your contacts and then follow up on all those loose ends. Sold a contact management system to a doctor's office six months ago? Check in and see how it's going and see if they are ready to install that accounting software package you had discussed.
4. Join the groups that are relevant to your profession. Much like an old-fashioned paper resume (remember those?), these show clients you are serious about what you do, and that you value networking. Whereas you cannot browse profiles of other members without their accepting you as a "friend," you can check out a group before you become a member of it.
5. Lose the idea that social networks are for teenagers. The median age of a MySpace user is 27; a Facebook user, 26, according to the Pew research. There are plenty of college graduates as well. Fifty percent of adult social network users have a profile on MySpace, 22 percent on Facebook and 6 percent on Linked In.
By tightly managing your time and profiles, business professionals can make productive use of social networks. They can be constructed to create a type of online Rotary Club, with only people you choose to become members. This is not your father's Rotary Club. Social networks might indeed be the next big thing, but it's going to take a while to get the Rotarians there.
taken from crn.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment