Okay so the more familiar phrase is climbing the social ladder. But for today’s discussion we are going to review the use and the benefits of the social ladder, more specifically the social network that has exploded on the Internet scene.

From individuals, to celebrities, public figures, to corporations, we have seen the bandwagon of using social sites become a necessity in promotion, marketing, networking, and just getting your “name” out there. And why not? It is very successful. I just got an electronic memo from the creator of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, saying they have surpassed or reached 350,000,000 users! Kudos to you Mark.

Anyhow the question is: are you using the social network sites? It isn’t just a trendy thing to do anymore you know? Although I am shockingly amazed at the amount of people who ask: “what is Facebook?’, or “Myspace”. Or “what is a Tweet?” Are you one of these people lagging behind a bit? (LOL)

Well our Close – up focus today is going to remedy that. By taking a look at some actual sites on these sites, we are going to examples of what they are and how they are used. It will also give you an idea of what you can do with them.

Disclaimer time: Listen up my friends. Remember this is not an advertisement for anyone. This is simply examples of what people are doing and a “model” that you can learn from. It is also proof that is successful and effective quite frankly.

Anyhow, let’s start by looking at http://twitter.com/bevyhost. Yes our Twitter site. As you take a look see at our Twitter site I want to explain something to those who have never been to Twitter. The use of Twitter and the general lay out is the same for every single Twitter page. Now that does not mean that every Twitter page looks exactly the same. The layout is the same.

You have flexibility with the background and color combinations. Note that the title of your page is prominent and you can, as we have, put your logo or a photo next to the name of your page. Under the main section, basically in the center of the page is a scrolling page. On the left side of the page that you can scroll up or down is a series of brief messages which are called “Tweets”. Each “Tweet” can be a maximum of 140 characters. You can use those “Tweets” to interact with other Twitter members and/or promote your site/business. Which you should be doing if you’re not already!

In the scrolling section and in the right column you will find a brief bio along with a person’s name. That is usually the person managing the Twitter page. Also most pages offer a link to their site of interest. Back to the “Tweet” section on our (Bevyhost) page you will notice that we wisely use a number of our “Tweets” to highlight reasons to visit Bevyhost.com. And other sites we wish to direct people to.

In your case you too would highlight your business and any other affiliate or partner, or maybe just something of interest to you. But you get the general idea. But just to get the flavor check out:

• http://twitter.com/ComcastSports
• http://twitter.com/CALISTATOOLS
• http://twitter.com/WeberChevrolet
• http://twitter.com/walmart_shop
• http://twitter.com/Jonasbrothers

Above I mentioned Facebook and I should clarify that using Facebook for promotion is a little trickier. They do not have a direct business page. In order to promote a business and/or business site you need to have a personal site and create a page link. Then people will have the possibility to access your business link page and become a fan of that page.
An example is this site set up to feature a blog of an American Major League Baseball Team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

• http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Philliesmaniacom/122509288854

If you pull up this example you will see a lay out a little more detailed than you saw on Twitter. Part of Facebook is similar in some ways. It can have the similar purpose but it is more extensive. Let’s take a look at some of the features and ways you can use it for your marketing strategy.

When you visit Facebook you will have these business link pages accessible to you to visit. When you go these pages you will see the name of the business and page and an image/logo also. If the site manager provides it there will be a comment next to the user name of the site. It can be a fun comment or a marketing line or anything in between. The manager and the visitor’s can use the “What’s on your mind?” box to join in or add comments.

Through the middle section are a few options. You have a message “Wall” as one of them. The “Wall” is somewhat like the “Tweet” on Twitter. Only it is not limited to 140 characters. The “Info” option allows the link/page sponsor to give the official URL and an overview and company mission. The “Photo” option is pretty self explanatory. And a 4th choice is “Discussions” in which you can start a thread or a topic, were others can participate. Actually the “Wall”, along with personal messages, is open to visitors to contribute to.

Along the left is a column that provides site related information. You have a box that you can offer a brief description of what your objective is, a section where people can see who your fans are.

On the other side, in a column on the right is as section that offers ad space for other business pages on Facebook.

All in all the interaction between visitor and the site management is always a good idea and successful. The “ongoing” concept is also a great idea because it is an incentive for people to continue to come back to see what you and others are posting.

Another good provision by these 2 sites is you can set it up so that you are updated through an email account of new activity. These social sites also are easy for your “fans” or visitors to pass on your link to their friends, which is always the most reliable source of advertising.

Oh but there are more. As we mentioned earlier you have the well known Myspace and there are others to take a look at. The truth is you can get a fine start and learn a lot by carefully reviewing Twitter and Facebook. And keep in mind regardless of what Internet business and/or Internet presence you are planning to maintain you should be interested in the social network ladder and be prepared to use it.

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