Technology

Four Niche Networks You’re Not Using For Promotion But Should

It’s easy to get sucked into a new site or game – it’s one of the reasons so many people I know (including me) avoid Farmville and Mafia Wars on Facebook. While the temptation to play with friends and have a little fun appeals to the procrastinating child in me, the thought of succumbing to a game and thinking about nothing else is hardly going to do wonders for my word count and paycheck. Other social networking sites, while equally addictive, offer some benefit in the way of promotion and actual networking with interested connections, and some provide enough entertainment that one may forget their true purpose for logging on.

You can use Facebook and Twitter and know that there are microblogging posts about products and services, and fan pages need updating, but what about the lesser-known sites where you have accounts or should have a presence? Many social networking sites may not seem like they have marketing potential at first, but if you know how to approach the people who find you online, you may be able to have fun and guide others to what you have to offer without getting in the way. . like a hard sell. Depending on your industry—retail or B2B, hospitality and travel, or other professional services—you can provide valuable information to those who seek it.

Let’s take a look at four social sites, each used for a different purpose, to see how they can help you in your online marketing.

Foodbuzz: For nearly four years, chefs and foodies have used this tasty social network to share recipes and recommend meat and vegetable pairings, as well as recommend their favorite restaurants. For those who work in the food/hospitality industry, a profile on Foodbuzz presents a great opportunity to share house recipes and interact with people who have reviewed your establishment. Foodbuzz puts you in touch with some of the most prolific food bloggers, allowing for potential additional promotion. Posts on Foodbuzz can also be integrated with Twitter to increase marketing potential and drive people interested in food to your Foodbuzz profile and consequently to your main site.

43 Things: Have you made your wish list yet? 43 Things makes it a bit more manageable for you. Not only can you list the required number of things you want to achieve in a year or in your lifetime, but you can also connect with people who have done it or want to do it. If you’re a publisher, you might want to look for people who dream of writing that novel, while those in the travel/tourism industry can guide aspiring world travelers to great hotel and airfare discounts to kick-start their dreams. . Include your own list of goals and get to know the people you can help and who can help you in return.

43 Places – Of the people who brought you 43 Things, this network further narrows the niche by focusing solely on travel and information/photo sharing. A site like this can prove beneficial to anyone who thrives in the tourism business: the beachside cafe, the bed and breakfast inn, the specialist tour operator. Research interested people in your area and act as the local expert: provide suggested itineraries and tips for traveling to your region while reminding them of what you have to offer.

Yelp: Yelp is perhaps the most well-known of those listed here, and you’re likely to have it on your smartphone for instant consultation. While someone vaguely familiar with the site might think it’s dedicated solely to restaurant reviews, Yelp actually provided customer-based opinions on a variety of businesses, from retail boutiques to hotels. If you own a business, chances are you have a list here that you need to unlock and improve. Take the initiative to add photos to your ad and respond to reviews, good or bad. Also, let’s say you operate a hotel or B&B, you can use Yelp to build a database of recommended services around you, then use Yelp’s widget feature to keep the information on your main site. Visitors will see that you have more to offer them when they come to your city.

Above all, when you enter the social media fray: be courteous and knowledgeable, and don’t let the hard advertising of your business overshadow the social nature of these sites. Let your personality shine through these social networks to attract followers and business.

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