Social network profile creation, best 15 minutes you could spend
Bizzuka recently brought on a new agency partner, Daniels-Brown Communications. In an interview with the owner, Stephen Daniels-Brown, I asked how they came to find us given that they're located in northwest Washington state and we're in southern Louisiana.
I assumed his answer would be that they found us via search. I was hoping so, in fact, as we've spent quite a bit of time trying to generate favorable SERPs. However, his reply was unexpected and one that left me pleasantly surprised. It turns out, he found us at a site they frequent, Fast Company, via a profile I created over a year ago.
I can't even recall what prompted me to set up a profile there, but it probably took all of 10-15 minutes and I'm almost certain I haven't visited the profile since.
What lesson(s) can be learned from this?
You never know where leads might come from.
For example, I have profiles on a number of marketing-related Ning socnets that I rarely frequent, TheSWOM, Marketing 2.0, and InSocialMedia. While I genuinely wish I could be more proactive on each, at least I have a presence there. If you use the Fast Company case as an example, you never know when one of those might return the favor.
It lends a sense of ubiquity.
Regarding my presence in social media a friend recently said, "You're everywhere!" I think there's something that can be said for that. Pehaps that it implies credibility? Social network profiling give you the ability to be everywhere at once.
Search engines include them in blended search returns.
One reason that may take precedent over any other is that search engines include social network profiles in SERPs. A search on the term includes results from Facebook, LinkedIn, BusinessWeek, Practical Ecommerce, AboutUs and a number of others.
What actionable steps could you take?
Two come to mind:
- Ceate a personal profile on social networks where it makes sense. Again, you never know where business may come from.
- Create business profiles on social networks, directories and wikis. That includes sites such as Business.com, AboutUs.org, Best of the Web, Wikipedia (good luck) and Google Knol. Find vertically-related networks and directories and create profiles there as well.
What advice might you give regarding profile creation? Are there additional business-centric social networks, directories and wikis you suggest?
