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'Must-Have' Social Networking Sites in your Marketing Strategy

Whether you are new to the whole social networking thing or have just been apprehensive to add them to your marketing strategy now is a good time to start testing the waters. In my opinion social networking is the best way to market your brand online. It provides the ability to connect with people who are likely to be interested in what you have to say, providing that you are not just simply spamming. If your a business trying to market yourself online, here are my top 11 picks for social networking sites that you simply must have in your marketing strategy.

Squidoo: I really like Squidoo for business marketing because it gives you a chance to market yourself through your knowledge. Share the knowledge you have relating to your specific area of expertise to connect with the right audience.
Wikipedia: Is there anything you can't find on Wikipedia? Even arguably one of the best online social networks can be found on Wikipedia. You can build a reference page relating to your business as well as connect with other users on Wikipedia's Community Portal.
Gather: Gather is the thinking social network. Community members generally discuss politics, economics world events, etc. For most businesses branching out online these are typically the people that you are looking to connect with.
YouTube: A no-brainer. My grandmother has a video on YouTube. Well, not really but just about everyone else does. The brilliant thing about YouTube is that people are not only uploading videos, but they are also watching them...by the millions. If your business does not have some kind of video content on YouTube you are missing out....video = viral.
Technorati: Probably the most important blog network online. If you have a blog register it here now, Technorati publishes top stories across it's network daily.
StumbleUpon: StumbleUpon is simply a toolbar that sits in your browser that allows your to channel surf the web. When you start doing this you will connect with like-minded individuals interested in similar content. I recommend this for the more guerrilla online marketer, but it is effective..
Digg: Digg has a huge following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more.
Facebook: In the beginning Facebook was primarily a bunch of college kids trading pictures from last night's kegger. Well, Facebook has grown up and is a very important site for professional social networking.
Twitter: Probably my favorite social networking site mostly because of it's innovative nature. You can connect with and keep track of where your contacts are and what they are doing.
Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.
Blogger: Blogger represents a huge blogging community, providing you a fantastic platform for getting your blog in front of a much larger audience.

You probably noticed that MySpace is not on the list. I was actually torn on this subject but ultimately decided to leave them off. I might rate them as number 13 or 14 in order of importance. My take on MySpace is that although the community is important because of it's size alone, relevance and targeting can become an issue.

Posted by Michael Ouellette - hitxt.com on 03/31/2008 11:18 AM

Comments (56)

social networking top sites, top blogging sites

56 Comments on 'Must-Have' Social Networking Sites in your Marketing Strategy

MAR

2008

I have never heard of many of these, thanks for the info. I will definately check them out!

Thanks for the definitions, I've bookmarked for future use. I do tend to disagree with you leaving off myspace and friendster. I've found them useful for keeping in touch with contacts.

How do you find time to keep updated on so many sites? And why didn't LinkedIn make your list?

I have to say, all this on-line networking and blogging can take up all my time, when do I have time for my clients and selling properties? Are there services that can keep all your social networks updated?

Hi Katie - Yes, I was torn on these sites, as I do find value for areas of my business there as well. In terms of ongoing communication I thing MySpace and Friendster are great.

In 2007, Wikipedia yanked its Googlejuice from external links on its pages. That is, all external links now have the rel="nofollow" tag.

thanks for the info, i will be checking them out inthe morning. I have heard of most of them.

You are right about this, but the problem seems to come when you have to spend so much time on each of these.

Nice list Michael. I have book-marked this for future review and to pass on to a few of my agents.

Thanks for the terrific list! I still need to do many of these....so this is a good reminder.

MAR

2008

Thanks for sharing the list. I book-marked this post for reference. Thanks again.

Good Post!

Right on for networking. You must really put yourself out there on the Internet. This is a age of technology and you must embrace it.

Thanks for sharing. I will try these out.

Great list, I have not heard of several of these and will definitly be checking them out, thank you very much :-D

someone mentioned LinkedIn. This is a great networking site, surprised it wasn't on your list. no, I don't have any ownership interest in the company, wish I did though.

For people who think this takes too much time, it could if you let it. if you get proficient with your computer, it's not too bad.

Time management does not go out the window just because we now have the Internet. I've had the opportunity to view lots of peoples mailboxes (it was a project that I did) and many (and I mean MANY!) people have literally no idea how to handle their email. Their email box gets filled with hundreds or thousands of email, they get so frustrated they don't know where to begin.

Michael, Thanks for all of the great info! I, like several others that have commented, have not heard of many of these. I'll be checking them out. Thanks so much again! Elizabeth

If I spent time on all these social networks, I wouldn't have any time to take care of my clients. However it is amazing how many places you can go. I will have to check them out when business is slower, right now I can barely keep up with AR.

Great List.

If you don't mind I'd like to also suggest you visit www.ryze.com and www.wannanetwork.com.

Happy Social Networking!

Michael, Great list, but I concur with many of the other comments here. . .time becomes and issue. I am working on an organized way to stay current without it overtaking my days.

Michael, Thanks for the list - I am a little over 50% so will have to get to the other 50%. Bookmarked. :)

Thanks for the suggestions! I am also a huge fan of linked in in terms of networking. They are not on my list though because I tried to focus on sites that offer more in terms connecting with new groups of like-minded individuals. LinkedIn (and Plaxo) are valuable ways to connect with new professionals, however there are other networks that are arguably better suited for reaching more targeted segments.

Thank you for the info. I am familiar with some of these and will check on the others. Bookmarked for sure!

Michael - Thanks for sharing your list. It's always good to get different perspectives when it comes to digital marketing. We serve so many different age ranges and client types. I agree - time definitely becomes a constraint. I tend to focus on a few that I find to be enjoyable and more targeted to real estate. I'll keep the others in mind, though.

Heres a good blog post about LinkedIn

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html

Great list. some I've never heard of. I'm into the social networking sites, but a lot of these I hadn't heard of. I haven't really marketed my business on any of them. How do you recommend getting in there and networking in a manner that is going to drive you business vs just being another face that is on a webpage somewhere?

Thanks for the great list. I love how you give an explanation of why you like each site - that's the most important element!

Hi Michael,

I do think MySpace is important, with the right strategy. I like the others on your list. I think it's also good for real estate professionals to get involved in answering the Q&A sections, like that of A/R, Trulia, and Zillow. Also, many newspapers allow for a comments section now when they post articles. I would keep Google Alerts active for topics of your expertise along with making a point to skim local and national real estate headlines and putting in your 2 cents.

GREAT SITES. THANKS FOR SHARING THESE GREAT NETWORKING SITES. MANY OF THEM I ALREADY USES; HOWEVER, A FEW I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF AND I WILL BE TRYING THEM OUT.

THANKS AGAIN

DANIEL

Great info, nice job segmenting the must haves, I'll be adding this info to my file ASAP

Michael - thanks for the list - I am on some but not all. I bookmarked this for reference.

Thanks - Sharon

great post for those looking to gain on the comp. it there area...this is what it is all about.

wow I've heard of only one or two only thanks for the info

Like some of the others, I would add linkedin to the list. In my opinion it is a more "grown up" and tech oriented facebook without all the "extras".

Thank you so much, I am bookmarking this particular post for future reference. I don't necessarily agree on all of them, but a couple I hadn't thought of joining.

Thanks for the list! I am only on a few of these networking sites. Looks like I have some (net)work to do!

Wow - very comprehensive list and a few that I was not aware of. Thanks for sharing them and I am off to check a few of the new ones (to me) out!

I think that Linked In and MySpace should have been on the list for sheer volume if nothing else.

MICHAEL - Thanks for the comprehensive list and the descriptions of what each has to offer. There is so much to choose from that I think that I end up signing up for too many things and do nothing with them. By the way, do you know if it's possible to use Technorati with your AR blog?

This is an awesome and super helpful LIST!! Thanks for sharing. I have many of these, but not all...so, tomorrow, I'll be busy!

Thanks for the info, I found it very useful.

Hi Adam - Yes you can claim your AR blog in Technorati. That's a great point and definitely worth your while.

Nice list and descriptions Michael. I have heard of all but one. What I didn't realize is, that some are actually social networking sites. I'm with some of the others on keeping up with it all. Maybe it's age. :) I guess I need to get busy.

Hi Michael - thanks for putting this list together and explaining why you chose them. I am already on most of these, now I just need to utilize them better than I am.

Ann

I have heard of all of these and have profiles on most. However, I also don't think they're all local real estate-centric. It's hard to get a local real estate article "dugg." And in order to be noticeable on these sites and get your links out there you do have to spend time. Time digging stories (or using the other bookmarking sites). I'm always torn between spending time on those kinds of sites vs. time on my own websites or at least spending that time on a real estate related networking site like AR.

I know a real estate agent that was crazy about Wikipedia until they started using no follows. I made my first Squidoo lens and had so much fun with it that I made a non-real estate related lens. But I'm still not sure how much interest a one page local real estate or area lens truly creates. Since I like lenses I'm still trying to figure out how to use it to my advantage. It is also time consuming to make a decent lens.

Add all of this to my multiple websites and although I now consider blogging as a hobby I also have to draw the line as to how much time I can spend on all of these new social sites popping up every day.

I have to agree with you Judy. I did a search on Digg for Palm Springs Real Estate (my area) and found a few listings....but only 2 hits max...so just wondering how effective that is.

As far as the Squidoo lens, I can't quite figure out how that is supposed to help my business either? I signed up for some of the other sites listed too, but after spending about an hour on each today, can't quite figure out how to use them, or how they will benefit me either. I figure I probably need to devote a day to each of them. Cursious what the return will be?

Thanks for not putting MySpace in the top 11. :)

APR

2008

A couple of these are new to me. I love LinkedIn and use that site quite a bit. I've also been working with Plaxo.

So many locations, so little time. Thanks for the post and the info. Appreciate it.

Hi Michael. Thank you for your info. I'm amazed by the company I keep. I wish more of it would rub off.

I'm hoping osmosis will work for mr

Thanks

Kieran loughman formerly Hinham Ma

Great information! Thank you for posting!

Thanks for the great list. I need to check if I am on all of them. Thanks again

Thank you....as soon as I find my cloning machine, I will be sure and get right on this...Yicks....sooooo many networks....soooo Little TIME !

Great list...I'll get right to work! I also recently signed up with LinkedIn. Seems to be particularly professional, as far as social networks online go.

Just when I thought I had them all, you had to list them. I must admit, you named a few I have never heard of. I will have to check them out!

Michael,

There is always room for improvement in my mortgage marketing strategy and your list is very intriguing. Have to explore them more in detail and then decide which one(s) to include. Thanks for sharing.

APR

2008

Michael,

Thanks for the post. Social Networking is a great way to keep in touch with potential clients and can be used to influence your search engine rankings.

Here are two sites that I have used some. There are similar to squidoo in that you can post content. I've found that they do perform well in the SERP's

http://www.hubpages.com (does really well in search engine)

http://www.wetpaint.com

Social networking can eat up your time... my advice. Have a goal or end in mind.

Hi Michael, I have not even heard of some of these. I am bookmarking this page to check them out later. I am new to the whole social networking thing and am setting up accounts. It is all so time consuming!!!! Hope it helps.

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