Women have known for millenium that it’s all about relationships. From haggling for the best produce in the marketplace to network (MLM) marketing, women have been building connections to build their businesses.
When Internet Marketing first burst on the scene, “bulletin boards” were the first online communities. They were often built around a single subject or interest. People truly related to each other on these communities. And, many still exist as present-day forums and social networking sites.
Then it became all about the numbers. How many hits on your website? How many myspace followers do you have? Now, how many Twitter followers do you have? Then the economy turned upside down around the world. We are all a little bit at sea. How do we market and sell now? What is social networking and how do we make it work for us?
Social networking, I believe, is the return to real relationships on the Internet. True, there are many people collecting thousands of “friends.” And many marketers are still chasing after as many dollars as they can find. There is a definite lack of relationship buiilding by many Internet marketers.
And, it’s mostly a male-dominated field. Yes, some women are getting it, but rarely are they collecting the numbers that someone like Guy Kawasaki (38,000+ followers on Twitter) obtains. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Because I was in the technical industry for decades, I am comfortable with new technologies. I don’t always understand them, but I usually get the general drift. I tend to be an “early adapter,” or as someone in the e-women network put it, “a geek.” (I’m not sure how I got there with a masters in theater, but that’s another story.)
And, I can usually see the big picture of what is going on. What I see going on right now is a struggle to establish “real relationships” using Internet technology. It’s not about selling, although that is an nice by-product, it’s about relating. It’s about understanding and connecting with other people around the globe.
Major social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are subdividing into “groups.” Niche social networking, forums, and the like are being established. People are trying to connect at a new level on the Internet.
That’s where social networking and marketing come in. The structure is changing. Not only will it be about who has the highest search engine rating. It will start to be about who recommends you. Just like it is when you move to a new town and are looking for a new doctor, dentist or hair-dresser. You may start on the web to see your options, but you are going to ask people you know, like and trust for their recommendations.
And, to become someone people know, like and trust on the Internet, you will need to increase your transparency. You will need to become a real, authentic person, warts and all, that people will want to relate to. That’s where social networking comes in.
So as you plan your 2009 marketing, put some time aside to establish a presence on the web. Consider Twitter, Facebook, blogging or podcasting. Sign up for Linked In. Explore and have fun.
Above all, be yourself!
