Social networking is a very powerful form of advertising today. In fact, if done correctly, a social media marketing campaign can be a very powerful, effective, and inexpensive way to promote your new product, initiative, or charity. The applications for social networking is really endless.

I just saw this video about using social networking for businesses. It explains to business owners, professionals, and bloggers to get get their message out through a social media – networking strategy focusing on leveraging LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, Flickr, and Business Blogs. There is a lot of useful information. Well worth the 5 minutes.

Social Networking Strategy For Businesses

If you are a power Twitter user, you know full well the potential of this microblogging service. But, what about the future?

Here is a great video, put together by Loic LeMeur, that outlines 30 future predictions for Twitter.

Twitter Predictions

What do you think about Twitter?

Social networking on online is about connecting with two three groups of people.

First, people who you already know. These are your current friends and connections. Connecting with them on your social networks will help you keep in touch better and build stronger connections for referrals and introductions.

Second, your target audience. Your target audience is the people who will be most receptive to your message, your brand, and your products or services. Networking with your audience means that you are not only broadcasting links in your social updates, but also real information and a high level of personality, and approachability.

Third, those you want to get to know. This is a very powerful group of people to network with. These are the people who you would term as those above you in terms of success, reputation, and following. Getting to network with this group will help you solidify your networking in the other two groups.

Are You Connecting With These Groups?

Are you trying to connect with these groups? If not, then you are missing out on your entire social networking program.

Many people are being told, and taught, that they should just try to connect with everyone and anyone. This simply is not true. Just reaching out and trying to connect with everyone is not going to accomplish the goals you have for your social networking and telling your story.

Are You Networking Or Is It One Way?

The other part of networking online has to do with your interaction. You’ve probably heard it said a thousand times by now how you should be interacting online. The sad thing is, not many people are actually doing it. I am constantly bombarded with DM’s with links, status updates with links in it, and a bunch of different offers through various means. It is almost overwhelming at times.

That is the wrong way to network. The right way is to actively engage with the people in your social media streams. Talk, ask questions, give solutions, chat about life — this is how to network.

Go beyond that introduce people to others, compliment on great work you’ve seen them do, ask for opportunities to work together — this is networking also.

So, how is your social networking? Is it about networking?

A new social marketing initiative that I am putting together is really beginning to take shape. I am getting very excited about how it is coming together. In fact, while I’ve been putting it together I’ve been getting even more ideas from everywhere. But, that is another story. (Yes, pun intended.)

As a means to continue talking about this whole Story of Social Media Marketing I thought I would talk about another important aspect of it. It’s called being captivating.

Is Your Social Media Networking Captivating?

Or, the question should probably be, “Are you captivating in your social networking?”

Since you are the one that is doing the networking, you should be captivating. If your message is not something that people want to hear, or will stay around to hear, the message is not captivating.

This is something that many storytellers already know. Some of my favorite authors – Tom Clancy, Stephen King, James Clavell, and Eric Van Lustbader – all have the ability to captivate their readers and pull them into the story that they are weaving. There is an element to the story that they are telling that makes you not only want to keep reading it, but also want to run out and grab their newest book. All of these authors have a series of books that build upon the last. The same characters, progressing storyline, and new problems, excitement, solutions, and action abound to instill a desire.

For example, who doesn’t love John Patrick Ryan. The incredible character that Tom Clancy dreamed up that male over 20 wants to be. Then there is the captivating story of the Noble House and the story of families in Hong Kong all trying to grasp business supremacy in the books by James Clavell.

A Social Networking Story Example

In the world of social networking you have people like Chris Brogan, Darren Rowse, Scott Stratten, Timothy Carter, and Doug Firebaugh are also incredibly captivating story tellers. Only they do it with the power of a blog, social networking, and their message.

Being captivating means that you have a message that people want to hear, and one they will continue to want to hear.

Do you have that kind of message?

Take a good look at your social media marketing message. I mean a good long look. Is it captivating? Is it something that people want to hear? Are they continuing to listen to your message?

Yes or no?

If not, then what can you do about it?

I’m going to help you in two ways.

First, you can wait until the second installment of this post. (Subscribe to the RSS so you don’t miss it). I will give you a few ways to help make your message a little more captivating.

Second, you can wait until January when I release Story. It is going to be a very comprehensive incentive – not just a product – that will define story and give you the tools necessary to create your own.

Everyone who isn’t lucky enough to get an invitation to Google Wave is wondering just what this thing is. Unfortunately I am one of those people. So, just what is this Google Wave that has been called the greatest thing on the Internet?

What Is Google Wave?

Did that help?

In the previous post there was a video that showed you how to create a Facebook Fan page from start to finish. If you take the time to watch that video and build your fan page, you will see a huge difference in your overall return on social networking.

However, it is one thing to know how to build a fan page. It is an entirely different subject all together to know how to use your Facebook Fan Page. Guess what? There is a video for that too. Don’t you just love the Internet?

How To Use Facebook Fan Pages To Build Your Brand

If you have taken the time to create your own fan page, go ahead and list them in the comments section. I’d love to check them out and become a fan!

Facebook is the most widely used social networking site on the Internet. For good reason. Facebook provides more bang for the buck. Of course, it is free, but you know what I mean.

One of the best ways to use Facebook in your social marketing is to create a Facebook fan page. A fan page is much like a regular profile, but allows people to be your “fan” so they can get updates on your business and what you are doing. It provides a way to differentiate between your personal Facebook profile and your brand Fan Page.

This brings about a whole new set of great business building concepts. However, you need to build it first. Here is a great video on how to build your Facebook Fan Page quickly and easily.

How To Create Facebook Fan Page

It doesn’t matter if you have a corner cafe, a worldwide super brand, or are just an individual looking to build a small home business, social networking is the future of marketing. However, it is here now.

Here is a short clip from a seminar that discusses three important social networking rules.

Social Networking Rules For Business

Unfortunately, a lot of people see social networking as a burden. I have talked to many people who have started with a few different social media websites only to abandon them because it was too hard to keep up. While there are some ways to keep your social media working for you, as in a social media marketing plan, I think it goes beyond a plan only.

Social networking is something that should be fun. There isn’t anything wrong with having a good time while you are busily marketing your website. For some people the actual thought of another day of having to open a Twitter client, catch up on their friends on Facebook, or closely monitoring all the different mobile apps.

Keeping Social Networking Fun

I recently read a great post about social media holding you hostage. In it, Angela talks about how people are paralyzed with fear about their social marketing efforts. She goes on to say that there are those who are trying to get something going, but think it is way too hard to get started. One person in particular was paying someone to launch their blog.

Since this is a part of what I do myself, I will not speak about making an income by doing things like this. However, Angela is exactly right when she says,

“Some people are making money off of this fear. Big money. They are not teaching clients how to use the tools but making them feel they don’t need to learn them.”

We all should be teaching, helping, and leading. Everyone of us! So, with that I wanted to set forth a few points to help you have a little more fun in your social networking instead of worrying about how hard it is.

Take A Break – If you have been in social networking at all and are feeling quite overwhelmed… take a break. It will still be here in a week, two weeks, or even a month.

Follow Your Own Rhythm – There are countless people tell you how you must do your social interaction. I have even done it myself. But, in reality the best way to do your social networking is according to your rhythm.

Talk To People You Know – We all like having conversations with people we know. Instead of hurrying to friend, or follow, everyone that some list says we should. It is all about who you want to begin networking with.

Stay Away From The ‘Its All About Marketing” Trap – So many people are trying to shoehorn social media into their marketing arsenal. It really is not about marketing. But, it is about your message.

Have Fun – As I like to tell my wife when she is stressing out about some event we have to go to, or even put on, “Bring it down a notch!” You need to do the same thing. Relax. Social marketing is not a race for the most followers. It is not about the next big marketing venue. It isn’t about spending a lot of money on high priced “consultants” and “social media agencies”.

It is about being natural. It is about being you. Bring it down a notch and have fun.

While this is not a formal part of The Story of Social Media Marketing series I am going to be starting here in the very near future, I thought I would expand a little bit on the concept and give you a little teaser.

This entire concept came to me as I sat and watched one kid captivate many on a bus ride with a story he was telling. It gathered momentum until the entire back half of the bus was quiet and listening to what happened next.

I stated in the notice of this new series that social media marketing should be like that; a story.

Since the other day, I’ve been thinking about his non-stop and thought I would put down a six quick thoughts about how to build a story for your social media marketing plan. Again, these are just quick thoughts. Some things that I wrote down during the night. This list is not intended to be comprehensive in any way.

How To Build Story For Social Media Marketing

1. Have something to say. You would never start a story without having anything to say. You have something in mind, a happening, an event, a problem, a solution, a question; anything. As long as you start a conversation or add to one, you are beginning to build a story.

2. Have a platform to say it. When you tell a story you want it to be heard, but you also want to be seen. In the online world that means two things right now. Twitter and a blog. Your blog should be the main hub of activity while Twitter allows you to speak freely. Use them to build your own story.

3. Be a little different. It gets very bland and boring when you say the same thing as everyone else. ReTweeting on Twitter is a big thing – and you should want your stuff ReTweeted – but, make sure you also add your own voice and say something a little different from the norm.

4. Add some excitement! This is mostly for those into affiliate marketing, network marketing, and some other business where you promote another person’s product or service. Start working on something that is yours! Add a little spice to the Internet and begin promoting it with a lot of flair, fireworks, and hoopla. This might sound like hype, but you are really injecting some life into the Internet.

5. Keep the momentum going. A good story keeps people interested because the storyline continues to deliver. Once you get your social media campaign off the ground – be it through Twitter, blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, or some other platform – then keep the momentum going. you build your brand through a series of plots, hooks, characters, and overlapping storylines.

6. Continue introducing new characters. Stories always have characters. Interesting characters that you continue to build your story upon. The characters in your story are the ones that you connect with in your social media marketing efforts. They are our friends, followers, and fans. These characters are the people you interact with while you are going through your own story. Your story then begins to overlap with their story.

Building A Story For Your Social Media Marketing

There are countless stories in circulation right now online through all the various social networking websites. Sadly a lot of these stories are going unheard because they are not being told correctly. Coming in the next few weeks is going to be something that will help you tell your story, build your brand, and see a successful return from your social networking.

I can’t wait and am very excited for what is going to happen! Do you have a story to tell right now? Drop an email to tim AT guaranteed-ads DOT com and let me know. I’ll start highlighting these stories on this site.