Instead, he said it’s more like getting a puppy…You have to make a commitment to feed it, and play with it, and take it out for walks every day. And I couldn’t agree more.

Social networking is not at all like placing an ad then sitting back and waiting for the phone to ring or people to walk in the door. It’s about creating conversations, establishing deeper relationships, and building a community of like-minded folks.

Yet every time you turn around it seems someone is shouting about all the wonders of social networking and how easy it is to use it market your business…Especially if you pay them hundreds or thousands of dollars to show you how.

On the flip side, a quick online search will turn up plenty of articles wondering how, or if, you can actually make any money from Twitter or Facebook.

I know for a fact that you can grow your business using social networking because I’ve done it with mine. But it takes time and a well-thought out strategy to get great results.

If you’ve already started using social networking to market your small business, or are even just thinking about it, here are a few things you really ought to know.

1) All the marketing basics still apply.

If you don’t know your target market, you can’t define your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and you don’t have an offer they can’t refuse and a way to build your list, all your social networking efforts won’t do you any good.

2) Nobody makes money off of Twitter alone.

You have to use it, and most other social networking tools, as part of a bigger strategy. Think of all these social networking tools as your front porch. They’re a place where you can step outside and invite others in. But then you need somewhere to invite them to, and a reason for them to stick around. This is where your Website or blog comes into play.

3) It’s not about what happens now, it’s about what happens next.

Most people are not going to whip out their credit card just because you sent them a message about your latest product, service or event. So stop worrying about whether each specific action you take generates a sale or client and instead worry about driving traffic to your site.

4) You gotta build your list.

People have been saying “The money is in the list” since long before the Internet existed. Yet most small business owners ignore this truth completely, both online and off. The thing is, once someone arrives on your site they may still not be ready to buy. So offer them something useful in exchange for their name and email address. Then stay in touch regularly via email so they can get to know, like and trust you.

5) An e-newsletter is key.

Once you get their contact info you have to stay in touch. That means sending regular e-newsletters. These can be long or short. You can write them yourself, have them written, or use other people’s articles for content. But you absolutely have to send them out a minimum of once a month. Bi-weekly is better. Weekly is best.

6) You’ve got to participate actively and regularly.

Even if you have all the various backend pieces in place, social networking won’t work if you don’t work at it. Much like in-person networking, you need to show up regularly, reach out to others, and offer value (whatever you do, don’t just sell). Back to the earlier dog analogy, you’ve got to play with it and feed it regularly…At least a few times a week at a minimum.

7) Most social networking experts, aren’t.

While there are some very good people out there, a lot of the so-called experts are just folks who know how to set up and use the tools. They aren’t marketers and don’t know how to develop a large marketing strategy. So if you want to hire one, ask about specific results (like increased Website traffic, leads or sales) and check references.

Keep these seven truths in mind, and you’re likely to find social networking is one of the best, and least expensive, small business marketing options out there today!

Or maybe you even started a blog, but couldn’t find the time to write regular posts.

If so, believe me, you are not alone. Given that you need to write at least 2 posts a week—at a minimum—to make a blog effective, generating enough content can seem like a herculean task.

Yet having an active blog is a terrific way to get the word out about your business. So if you don’t already have one, or you haven’t been updating yours, you’re missing out.

Blogs are designed to be incredibly well optimized for the search engines. That means the search engines notice you, and you’ll tend to rank higher for your keywords than you would with a traditional Website. Plus there a boatload of cool plug-ins and widgets that let you link your blog with your social networking sites, Website and more.

Thanks to my blog, my content is now syndicated by two companies and republished around the world! That means WAY more people are getting a taste of my marketing wisdom. And ideally, they’re finding their way back to my Website, getting on my email list and becoming more successful entrepreneurs as a result. Plus I’m getting loads of back links from all this syndication so my sites rank even higher in the search engines.

So if you’ve coming up with loads of content has been your stopping block, take heart. Below are 7 easy ways around this problem.

1) Repurpose your other articles

If you’re already writing a regular newsletter, or have written a book, then you have a source of content at your fingertips. There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t reuse that same content on your blog—either with or without editing.

If you do public speaking, record your talks on a simple digital recorder then have them transcribed. Edit the transcripts into a series of articles (or have someone do it for you) and you’ve got reams of content.

2) Online article submission sites

These days you can find reams of content on almost any topic under the sun, ripe and ready for the picking, on article submission sites like ideamarketers.com and ezinearticles.com (though there are hundreds more). Typically, all you have to do is include the author’s byline and links and you can post their content anywhere you want.

3) BloggerLinkUp

Another, similar option to HARO is BloggerLinkUp. But this email service is strictly devoted to people who need blog content or would like to provide blog content. Sign up for their no-cost email subscription at bloggerlinkup.com

5) Subscribe to other newsletters that let you repost

Oftentimes, people will let you repost the articles from their email newsletters. And it never hurts to read what other folks are saying anyway. So subscribe to a few newsletters from other experts in your field with complimentary specialties. Then look at the bottom of their emails to see if they have a blurb giving permission to repost their article. Again, typically they just ask that you keep their name, byline and links at the end of the article.

6) Write a short intro with a link to another post

Anytime you run across a blog post on someone else’s blog you enjoy and feel would be of value or interest to your community, simply write a short blurb about it then include the link back to the original. Your intro can be as short as a 100 words, or longer. And it can include an excerpt from the original post, or not. As long as you don’t repost their article in its entirety without permission, and you include the link back, it’s fair game.

7) Trade with others

Know other small business owners who write great articles? Talk to them and see if they’d like to set up a regular article trade. You can write one a month for their blog and vice versa. This can be a nice way to establish new relationships while getting your blog content written for you.

I’ve had my own blog for a while now, and just love it. It’s a perfect place to post my articles and audios, announce upcoming events and teleseminars, and get feedback from my readers.

I’ve also had the good fortune of having my blog syndicated by two different organizations. Plus I regularly submit posts to blog carnivals. That helps spread my gospel, creates links back to my site, and drives targeted Web traffic my way.

Can you say killer marketing?!?

Nowadays, thanks to the myriad blog templates it’s not too hard to get your own blog up and running (if you’ve got the time and desire). Of course getting your own blog off the ground can be frustrating and overwhelming…Until you know a few insider tips and tricks.

I can tell you from experience a little bit of professional blog building advice goes a long, long way to helping you create a professional-looking blog that gets you noticed.

Lucky for you, you don’t have to waste time fumbling around with creating your blog, or trying to make it effective.

Discover everything you need to know to:

• Create your own great-looking blog…
• Get tons of readers…
• And grow your business…

On this month’s teleseminar when I (Stacy Karacostas) interview business blogging expert Mark McLaren of McBuzz.com.

Mark has promised to share the specifics, tips and tricks you need to know to create a killer blog… Even if you’ve never built a blog before in your life!

Here’s just a sampling of what he’s promised to cover:

• Why is blogging so important?
• How to use blogging to grow your business
• Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress…Which hosting platform is right for your business?
• What widgets, plugins and other tools that every successful business blog should have.
• How to craft blog posts the search engines will love
• You’ve got a blog, now what? Steps for promoting your blog
• Want to create a full Website using your blog? We’ll cover how to create static pages for your blog/site
• Plus you’ll get the chance to have him answer your specific questions live!

If you’ve ever wanted to create a blog for your business but could never figure out how—or you’ve started a blog but don’t know what to do next—get the info you need to get started on this call.

Click the link below to reserve your spot on the call:

http://www.success-stream.com/teleseminar-15.htm

Do you have any specific questions about blogging you’d like Mark to answer? Leave your question as a comment below and I’ll make sure we cover it on the call.

[tags] Small Business, Blogging, Build, How to, marketing, Mark McLaren, expert [/tags]