\nBeing an Internet Entrepreneur<\/b> means many things, but being on social networks is key to getting your offer out there, to build your network and personal brand. <\/p>\n
Did you think that only big companies benefit from using social media? Well, think again. The Internet levels the playing field, so you can look like the big guys.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re new to social marketing, don\u2019t panic. Everybody was a rookie once and you can easily get started without getting injured along the way. The key is to focus on just a couple of platforms or networks, and then expand after you get more familiar with the social world. <\/p>\n
My key online marketing networks for social media are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I also use some others like Digg, DisQus and Redditt, but the more platforms you use, the more time you invest. Depending on your business goals or any special marketing campaigns, you may want to branch out, but initially, keep it simple.<\/p>\n
Get Busy<\/strong> <\/p>\n You can\u2019t learn unless you try. I used to read obsessively about social media, but I didn\u2019t really understand all of it, until I dove into Twitter and started using Facebook Pages. It will take awhile to \u2018get it\u2019, but you will. Internet Entrepreneurs know they need to learn and try new things.<\/p>\n Twitter<\/strong> \u2013 sometimes called a microblog, because you can only post 140 characters at a time. The idea, as with all social networks, is to connect with people and to share information or experiences. People like to share articles, blogs, reports, news, photos, and funny stories, etc. Obviously you will want to share your own links, too:)<\/p>\n Find people to start following (many will follow you back), and at first, just listen to what they are saying. If you don\u2019t like, or are not interested in what you hear, then you can unfollow them. It\u2019s that easy. Find someone else, and just keep growing your network. <\/p>\n When you are ready, start tweeting. Just do it, and be yourself. Nobody will slap your wrist if you say something wrong. <\/p>\n Link Shorteners<\/strong> \u2013 used to shrink a long, rambling URL (website address) into a shorter one that can better fit into a Twitter post (called a Tweet). When you only have 140 spaces, sharing a link to a story can take up the whole box. Link shorteners to the rescue! <\/p>\n There are many services out there, like goo.gl, Hootsuite, TinyURL. Just do a search and try different ones out.<\/p>\n I use a service at \u201cBit.ly.com\u201d. It takes a long url, with loads of coded characters and numbers \u2013 you know the ones, and shortens them to 12 or 13 characters. <\/p>\n