How Does Participating on Social Media Translate Into Business?

Let's ask this question another way:

How does attending in-person networking events translate into business?

You go to networking events, you introduce yourself, you might make a coffee date with someone, get to somewhat know the person, and, if you continue the connection, the person may become a client (or customer) or a referral source.

The same thing happens if you use social media effectively only it happens online. (Although, of course, sometimes you do speak on the phone or meet in person with people you've first met online.)

The name of the game, whether online or offline, is personal connection. And you can usually connect online with more people than you can physically connect with.

For example, when you share a valuable blog post with your followers on Twitter, you have the opportunity to reach many more people at one time than you normally could do by sending an email to a few of your business contacts.

Sure, not everyone following you on Twitter will read the post or necessarily even see the tweet, but the business contacts who receive your email won't necessarily read the post or even open your email.

What makes social media such a terrific opportunity to forge relationships with people is that, if you participate on social media effectively, you are NOT shoving your business down their throats. Instead you are sharing content that may interest them.

Not everyone in your target market will become your client or customer. But by participating effectively on social media, you can extend your business networking outreach exponentially.

And it stands to reason that, the more people you authentically connect with, the larger pool you have from which to attract prospective clients or customers – and that can translate into business!

© 2010 Miller Mosaic, LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) and her business partner Yael K. Miller (@MillerMosaicLLC on Twitter) are committed to taking the mystery out of social media so that individuals and companies can utilize the power of social media to attract more business. See their Quick Start Social Media Track.