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LeveragingSocial Networkingto Generate BusinessAJ Nash, Marketing DirectorIntegrity First Financial, PCStepping into the conference room I realize that althoughI am making the connection between the partners of myfirm and two local professionals, I have never met the twoface-to-face and will be introducing myself as well. The agendais loose and I have no idea what direction the meeting will head,yet I feel well prepared and confident of a productive outcome.Now here is the punch line - this entire meeting was arrangedonline using the social networking service LinkedIn. Not onlydid LinkedIn help facilitate the introduction but provided myteam the work history of both professionals. We knew thatone was proud of his experience in Japan and enjoys mountainclimbing, and the other is an avid fisherman in his free time.LinkedIn is just one of many social networking services.Before we examine the value of these services let’s take a stepback and make sure we are clear on what social networkingactually is. Wikipedia defines a social network as, “an onlinecommunity of people who share interests and/or activities, orwho are interested in exploring the interests and activities ofothers.” Social networking in business is effectively a new wayto communicate, share information, and develop relationships- and do so with a focused audience and a platform built forefficiency. Consider it a 24-7 network with a purpose much likea Chamber of Commerce, but with no meetings.Social networking is attractive to small-medium businessesand has seen rapid growth because it is low cost. In fact, mostnetworks are free to join. It is attractive to larger companiesand topnotch professionals in its ability to connect at notonly a national, but also a global level. Companies have foundvalue in customer relationship management, cultivating newrelationships, hiring, business development, and leveraging otherprofessionals by posting questions on open forums. If this allseems overwhelming, it’s only because it is new.The next step is getting started! In order to get your feet wetand truly understand the value I would recommend setting up aprofile on three separate service providers. For business purposesI would consider the big three to be:• LinkedIn• Plaxo• TwitterAlso, the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce recently releaseda social networking service they call Face2Face, and I have seenit absolutely take off. If your local chamber of commerce has asocial networking program I would recommend this as well.Now that you know where to go… what can you expect? Theinitial step in social networking is setting up your profile and isoften the most tedious part. It is worth it!! Take the 2-3 hoursto set up your profile and remember it is the face of both yourcompany and you as a professional, posted for the entire worldto see. Be professional, be succinct, and don’t be afraid to adda little personality (be memorable). A good example of beingmemorable is Tyson Pruett, the president of my organization,whose title reads “Owner, Entrepreneur, Investor, and hotsauce connoisseur.” His affinity for hot sauce has proved to bememorable and is often a topic of conversation in meetings as aresult of LinkedIn.After you create your profile and connect with the people youalready know (you will be surprised how many there are), thentake some time to explore. Don’t be afraid, just start clicking. Readother peoples profiles, see if there are any groups in your industryor profession that you may want to join, and if you get hung up askanother social networking connection (like me) for help.Finally, if you are looking to use social networking for businessdevelopment, it is important to be efficient with your time. Hereare a few helpful hints.• First, you must remember that this is still a relationship,just a different type than you may be used to. Building trustdoesn’t happen overnight. In my opinion the key to true socialnetworking is frequent, consistent, and interesting/wittycomments on your “status.”• The goal is simply to stay top-of-mind with currentrelationships and keep a consistent message in front ofprospective relationships. One common component of allthe services is that they post the status of everyone in yournetwork based on the time you posted it . . . to stay in frontof your network you will establish a routine and update yourstatus regularly.If you get stuck or have questions on social marketing I am happyto be a resource and you can reach me at anash@iffcpa.com.Call 503-390-5544 or visitwww.integrityfirstfinancial.com.www.sedcor.comPage 17