It's easy to get sucked into a new site or game - it's one reason many people I know (including me) avoid Farmville and Mafia Wars on Facebook.
While the temptation to play along with friends and have a bit of fun appeals to the procrastinating child in me, the idea of succumbing to a game and thinking of nothing else will hardly do wonders for my word count, and my paycheck.
Other social network sites, while equally addictive, do stand to offer some benefit in the way of promotion and actual networking with interested connections, and some provide enough entertainment that one might forget his true purpose for signing on.
One can use Facebook and Twitter and know that micro-blog posts on products and services should be made, and that the fan pages need updating, but what about lesser known sites where you have accounts, or should have a presence? On the outset, many social media sites may not appear to have potential for marketing, but if you know how to approach people who find you online, you may find you can have your fun and guide others toward what you have to offer without coming on like a hard sell.
Depending on your industry - retail or B2B, hospitality and travel or other professional services - you can provide valuable information to those who seek it.
Let's take a look at four social sites, each used for a different purpose, to see how they can assist in your online marketing.
Foodbuzz: For close to four years, chefs and foodies alike have used this tasty social network to share recipes and recommend meat and veg pairings, as well as recommend favorite restaurants.
For those working in the food/hospitality industry, a profile on Foodbuzz presents a great opportunity to share house recipes and interact with people who have reviewed your establishment.
Foodbuzz puts you in touch with some of the more prolific food bloggers around, allowing for possible further promotion.
Posts to Foodbuzz may also integrate with Twitter to increase marketing potential and bring food-serious folks to your Foodbuzz profile, and consequently to your main site.
43 Things: Made your bucket list yet? 43 Things makes it a bit more manageable for you.
Not only can you list the requisite number of things you want to accomplish in a year, or within your lifetime, you can connect with people who have either done it or want to.
If you're an editor, you might wish to look for people who dream of writing that novel, while those in the travel/tourism industry may be able to guide wannabe world travelers to good discounts on hotels and airfare to kick start their dreams.
Include your own goal list and get to know the people you can help, and who can help you in return.
43 Places: From the people who brought you 43 Things, this network narrows the niche even further by focusing solely on travel and information/photo sharing.
A site like this can prove beneficial for anybody who thrives on tourist business - the beach side cafe, the bed and breakfast inn, the specialized tour operator.
Research people interested in your area and act as the local expert - provide suggested itineraries and tips for travel to your region while reminding them of what you offer.
Yelp: Yelp is perhaps the best known of these listed here, and likely one you might have on your smart phone for instant consultation.
While one vaguely familiar with the site might think it's solely dedicated to restaurant reviews, Yelp actually provided customer-based opinions on a variety of businesses, everything from retail boutiques to hotels.
If you own a business, chances are you have a listing here you need to unlock and enhance.
Take the initiative to add photos to your listing and respond to reviews, good or bad.
Also, say you operate a hotel or B&B, you can use Yelp to create a database of recommended services around you, then use Yelp's widget function to keep the information on your main site.
Visitors will then see you have more to offer them when they come to your town.
Above all else when entering the social media fray: be courteous and knowledgeable, and don't allow hard advertisement of your business overshadow the social nature of these sites.
Let your personality shine through these social networks to attract followers, and business.
While the temptation to play along with friends and have a bit of fun appeals to the procrastinating child in me, the idea of succumbing to a game and thinking of nothing else will hardly do wonders for my word count, and my paycheck.
Other social network sites, while equally addictive, do stand to offer some benefit in the way of promotion and actual networking with interested connections, and some provide enough entertainment that one might forget his true purpose for signing on.
One can use Facebook and Twitter and know that micro-blog posts on products and services should be made, and that the fan pages need updating, but what about lesser known sites where you have accounts, or should have a presence? On the outset, many social media sites may not appear to have potential for marketing, but if you know how to approach people who find you online, you may find you can have your fun and guide others toward what you have to offer without coming on like a hard sell.
Depending on your industry - retail or B2B, hospitality and travel or other professional services - you can provide valuable information to those who seek it.
Let's take a look at four social sites, each used for a different purpose, to see how they can assist in your online marketing.
Foodbuzz: For close to four years, chefs and foodies alike have used this tasty social network to share recipes and recommend meat and veg pairings, as well as recommend favorite restaurants.
For those working in the food/hospitality industry, a profile on Foodbuzz presents a great opportunity to share house recipes and interact with people who have reviewed your establishment.
Foodbuzz puts you in touch with some of the more prolific food bloggers around, allowing for possible further promotion.
Posts to Foodbuzz may also integrate with Twitter to increase marketing potential and bring food-serious folks to your Foodbuzz profile, and consequently to your main site.
43 Things: Made your bucket list yet? 43 Things makes it a bit more manageable for you.
Not only can you list the requisite number of things you want to accomplish in a year, or within your lifetime, you can connect with people who have either done it or want to.
If you're an editor, you might wish to look for people who dream of writing that novel, while those in the travel/tourism industry may be able to guide wannabe world travelers to good discounts on hotels and airfare to kick start their dreams.
Include your own goal list and get to know the people you can help, and who can help you in return.
43 Places: From the people who brought you 43 Things, this network narrows the niche even further by focusing solely on travel and information/photo sharing.
A site like this can prove beneficial for anybody who thrives on tourist business - the beach side cafe, the bed and breakfast inn, the specialized tour operator.
Research people interested in your area and act as the local expert - provide suggested itineraries and tips for travel to your region while reminding them of what you offer.
Yelp: Yelp is perhaps the best known of these listed here, and likely one you might have on your smart phone for instant consultation.
While one vaguely familiar with the site might think it's solely dedicated to restaurant reviews, Yelp actually provided customer-based opinions on a variety of businesses, everything from retail boutiques to hotels.
If you own a business, chances are you have a listing here you need to unlock and enhance.
Take the initiative to add photos to your listing and respond to reviews, good or bad.
Also, say you operate a hotel or B&B, you can use Yelp to create a database of recommended services around you, then use Yelp's widget function to keep the information on your main site.
Visitors will then see you have more to offer them when they come to your town.
Above all else when entering the social media fray: be courteous and knowledgeable, and don't allow hard advertisement of your business overshadow the social nature of these sites.
Let your personality shine through these social networks to attract followers, and business.
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