Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to Develop Your Business Online

In Social Media 101, social media expert and blogger Chris Brogan presents the best practices for growing the value of your social media and social networking marketing efforts. Brogan has spent two years researching what the best businesses are doing with social media and how they're doing it. Now, he presents his findings in a single, comprehensive business guide to social media.

You'll learn how to cultivate profitable online relationships, develop your brand, and drive meaningful business. Brogan shows you how to build an effective blog or website for your business, monitor your online reputation and what people are saying about your business online, and create new content to share with your customers.

• Presents specific strategies, tactics, and tips to improve your business through improved social media and online marketing
• Looks at social media and the wider online universe from a strictly business perspective

If you aren't using the Internet and social media to market your business and stay in touch with your customers, you're already falling behind. The Social Media 100 gives you 100 effective, proven strategies you need to succeed.

Five Things to Do at a Social Networking Meet-Up
Content from author Chris Brogan

Meet-ups (and, more recently, “tweetups,” which are meet-ups organized via Twitter) are the online manifestation of our social networking efforts. With Twitter and Upcoming.org and Facebook and all the other social networks, putting together a bunch of like-minded people is relatively simple. You find a venue that doesn’t mind a bunch of nerds, preferably with a place you can be loud (because social media types are often the loudest bunch in there, unless there’s a bachelorette party), and, hopefully, some delightful libations to ease social interaction. But what do you do there, once you’ve walked in and identified that you’re in the right place? Here’s a recipe.

Say Hi to Your Known Friends
Oftentimes, someone at the meet-up is known to you. Make sure you say hi to that person earlier in the night rather than later. I’m working on this one, because sometimes, I’ll be somewhere with friends and never get over to see them because time gets eaten up so fast. I’m going to make a point of saying hi to my longer-known friends first at meet-ups, so that they’ll feel acknowledged.

Find the New People
Look for folks who might be new to your local scene, or those you haven’t met before, and introduce yourself. My favorite opening line is to ask them what they normally do when they’re not hanging out with a bunch of Twitter geeks. If that doesn’t work, I like to ask people about their passions.

Don’t Crowd-Surf Too Much
There’s a tendency that’s easy to follow to just flit among the crowd. It’s not a wedding. You don’t have to hit every table. If you find something interesting, don’t be afraid to dive deep into the conversation for a bit. Get into some deeper waters with people, because otherwise, time will wash over you like a wave and you’ll be out without much to show for it.

If You Need to Do Business
Try to think of these meetups as a first date. Don’t put your tongue down our throats. In other words, if you’re there fishing for new business, play it cool and be part of the gang. Talk about what’s relevant, and don’t swerve instantly into your line of business and how you can help (sell) us. However, it’s okay to say that you’re hoping to build business relationships or the like. Just save the details for a follow-up conversation.

Talk About Something New
Whenever possible, bring along some really neat new idea to throw into the mix. Think of it as mental show-and-tell. Or, if you have a nifty new something to show people, do real-world show-and-tell. Bringing something new to the meetup will enrich everything. (Don’t force it into the conversation, but have something new in mind.)

Browse more social media tips from the author:

• 50 Blog Topics Marketers Could Write for Their Companies

• 50 Ways Marketers Can Use Social Media to Improve Their Marketing

Product Description
100 ways to tap into social media for a more profitable business

In Social Media 101, social media expert and blogger Chris Brogan presents the best practices for growing the value of your social media and social networking marketing efforts. Brogan has spent two years researching what the best businesses are doing with social media and how they're doing it. Now, he presents his findings in a single, comprehensive business guide to social media.

You'll learn how to cultivate profitable online relationships, develop your brand, and drive meaningful business. Brogan shows you how to build an effective blog or website for your business, monitor your online reputation and what people are saying about your business online, and create new content to share with your customers.

• Presents specific strategies, tactics, and tips to improve your business through improved social media and online marketing
• Looks at social media and the wider online universe from a strictly business perspective

If you aren't using the Internet and social media to market your business and stay in touch with your customers, you're already falling behind. The Social Media 100 gives you 100 effective, proven strategies you need to succeed.