Organic Traffic Strategies: 3 Social Networking No-Nos

Using your social networks to gain organic traffic is kind of like learning how to make yourself the popular kid in high school. Remember how the kid who most wanted to be seen as "cool" was usually the one who ended up getting shunned because of their desperation? It works the same way online: Nobody wants to give the time of day to someone who appears desperate to make a sale or who is obviously only using the network to toot their own horn. The power of social networks is derived from being social. Here are the three biggest social networking no-nos. Social Networking No-No #1: Mistaking Networking for Advertising Networking, whether on or off line, is about making contacts and building relationships with people for the mutual benefit of everyone involved. There is nothing mutually beneficial about forcing people to view posts which are nothing but poorly disguised advertisements, and there’s no quicker way to get yourself blocked, unfriended and publicly ridiculed. Use your network to build credibility for your business and focus on building relationships with the people you’re in contact with. When people can see that you not only are genuinely interested in them but also offer something of real value, your networking efforts naturally translate into sales. Social Networking No-No #2: Underestimating the power of the Internet It used to be that it didn’t matter much what you or others said about your business online, but these days you need to be extremely careful about what finds its way onto the Internet ethers. This means that you should fill out your public profile with accurate information, that you should be careful about what you say to the people you respond to, and that you should monitor the various networks and forums to ensure that your reputation stays as untarnished as possible. Granted, it’s not the end of the world if you do find your words twisted or your business getting smeared, but as the old adage goes, it’s much easier to prevent an accident than it is to clean it up. Social Networking No-No #3: Abusing your followers You’ve worked hard to build your network, and the people who have given you their contact information have done so in good faith that you won’t abuse it. There’s a fine line between keeping in regular contact with your network -- which is essential -- and overdoing it -- which makes you no better than the spammers we all hate. So when it comes down to it, social networking no-nos are really no-brainers -- Present yourself as the real person you are, offer valuable resources and information to those you connect with, and respect the time and feedback from the people in your network. And if you’re worried about having enough time to keep up with everyone in every circle, hire a social media agency to help. After all, the extra money spent to hire help is well worth the organic traffic and reputation rewards that harnessing the power of social networking represents!