Business Networking with
Social Networking Tools

What do the following mean?
• Social Network
• Social Media
• Web 2.0

Old media vs. New media
Traditional Media Web 1.0 Web 2.0
Newspapers Blogs
Radio Wikis
TV YouTube
Social Networks
one-way communication two-way communication

Is Social Media a Fad?

By 2010 Gen Y will out number
Baby Boomers

By 2010 Gen Y will out number
Baby Boomers
96% of them joined a social network

Years to reach 50 million users:
• Radio - 38 years
• TV - 13 years
• Internet - 4 years
• iPod - 3 years
Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months.

If Facebook were a country
it would be the 4th largest
1. China
2. India
3. United States
4.
5. Indonesia
6. Brazil
7. Pakistan
8. Bangladesh

The fastest growing segment on Facebook
is 55-56 year-old females.

80% of Twitter usage is
on a mobile device.
People update anytime, anywhere.
Imagine what that means for bad customer experiences?

There are over 200,000,000 Blogs
54% of bloggers post content or tweet daily.

Word of mouth

...has become
World of mouth.

25% of search results for the
World’s Top 20 largest brands are
linked to user-generated content.

25% of search results for the
World’s Top 20 largest brands are
linked to user-generated content.
34% of Bloggers post opinions
about products & brands.

Do you like what they’re saying
about your brand?

78% of consumers trust
peer recommendations.
Only 14% trust advertisements.

24 of the 25 largest newspapers are
experiencing record declines in circulation.

We no longer search for the news,
the news finds us...

Soon, we may no longer search for
products & services...

Soon, we may no longer search for
products & services...
...they will find us via social media.

Is Social Media a Fad?

Social media is a
fundamental shift
in the way
we communicate.

Golden rule in social media:
Listen first, sell second.

Traditional
“Business Networking”
• Job Seeking
• Referral Marketing
• Rolodex Stuffing

Selling.

Social networks are not a place to sell.

Biznik
“Business Networking”
• Building Relationships
• Managing your Reputation
• Investing in Social Capital

1. Building Relationships

Each member has a profile.

Members meet face 2 face.
• Relevant to business.
• No sales seminars allowed.
• Can network with the other
attendees online.

Event details include who else has RSVP’d.

Before an event...
• See who RSVP’d
• Make a note of who’d
you like to meet.
• Contact them ahead
of time.

At the event...
You would
have spent all
evening with
them.
But you’ll
excuse
yourself soon
and go meet
her.

After the event...
(I misplaced her card...)
Your profile. Her profile.
Find her
via the
event archive.
Send her
a message
through
Biznik.

2. Managing your
Reputation

Get published.
Written on
Mar 20, 2009.
Read 5701 times

Engage in conversation.
119 comments

Biznik Articles
• Authors have profiles
on Biznik.
• All articles have a
comments field.
• Articles turn into
conversations.

Killer SEO
(Search Engine Optimization)

Social media frequently outranks
your own web site because:
• Social networks are designed right.
• Frequently updated content.
• Lots of inbound links.

Search for
“Seattle PR consultant”
(587,000 results!)
Native results for #1 & #2
are profiles on Biznik
(not the individual’s web sites)

How do I get started?

In the era of social media...
Participation = Marketing

1. Listen. Where are they? What are they saying?
2. Engage. Post comments. Attend an event.
3. Add Value. Contribute relevant content.

Investing in Social Capital = adding value
• create a profile
• introduce yourself
• attend an event
• look at others’ profiles
• send a message
• read an article & make a comment
• write an article
• start a conversation
• join a group
• introduce two people
• send a referral

If you have just 10 minutes/day...

Three ways to
promote your business
in an online community:
(Hint: direct selling is not one of them.)

Read an article and
do one of three things:

1. Pose a question
“The ten tips you listed were helpful,
can you explain how number three works?”

2. Extend the conversation
“Your top ten tips where great! I want to share number eleven...”

3. Challenge the author
“Thank you for sharing your ten, I disagree with number 6...”

Results:
• Building relationships through conversation
• Strengthening your reputation & visibility
• Adding value through participation

• Founded 2005 in Seattle by 2 indie business people
• Self-funded, private company
• 15,000 members in Seattle-area
• 45,000 members nation-wide
• Typically 100 events in the Greater-Seattle calendar
• FREE join, create a profile & start participating
• Biznik Pro membership starts at only $10/month

Biznik Pro Membership
Pro ($10/month) ProVIP ($24/month)
• Professional profile All Pro benefits PLUS...
(video, blog, logo) • Appear HIGHEST on
• Unlimited messaging lists & search results
• See which members • SEO enhancements
have viewed your profile • More categories
• Create a Group • Multiple cities
• Charge an event fee • Discounts
• Appear higher on the • VIP Hives
lists & search results

Further reading:
by by by
Charlene Li Matthew Fraser Geoff Livingston
Josh Bernoff Soumitra Dutta Brian Solis

Thank you!
Learn more at
www.biznik.com
Lara Feltin
lara@biznik.com