MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook are all the rage, but for most business owners there are better ways to stay close to customers

By Gene Marks

Comedian Jim Gaffigan has a suggestion for preparing a Hot Pockets frozen entrée: “Take out of package. Place directly in toilet.” Gaffigan is not a big fan of Hot Pockets. He doesn’t like exercise, either. But he loves bacon. “Without bacon, no one would even know what a water chestnut is,” he says. Gaffigan’s also a fan of social networking sites.

You’ll see him on Facebook, Twitter, and News Corp.’s (NWS) MySpace. He keeps fans up to date on his concerts, albums, TV appearances—and naps. In short, he’s a social networking success story. For a one-man band like Gaffigan, who probably has a decent amount of free time between eating bacon and being on stage, social networks and blogs have proved effective vehicles for marketing his business and staying close to his audience. But for many business owners, social networking is as valuable as a Hot Pocket is nutritious.

We’ve been misled as to the benefits of social networking sites. Many of us are finding that these tools do not live up to the hype, especially for small business. Once we start digging deeper, we’re finding a lot of challenges. Are you thinking of using Facebook, Twitter, or the like in your business? Before you go any further, consider the following myths:

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Many who are starting out in business, or just beginning to do business for themselves, labor under a misconception that ‘branding’ is something you do after you start becoming successful. We are all so used to hearing the term ‘brand’ referring to a large conglomerate or supermarket chain or vacuum cleaner that we tend to allow the idea to remain associated with size and success and not with us and our first, small steps in the business world. It’s a misconception because branding doesn’t only refer to big brands, it is a term and a set of concepts which equally refers to small businesses, one person businesses and individual people. From big brands to small, from corporate brands to personal branding - it’s the brand that’s the key. Who you are, what you stand for, and how that information is communicated to others, as a total identity, is your brand.

The core concept of ‘branding’ is the idea of managing expectations. This is done by developing a set of qualities or characteristics which, together, form the personality of a ‘brand’, much like a fiction writer would create a set of qualities to describe each of the characters in his story. These qualities are known as the ‘brand DNA’ and, figuratively speaking, they together represent the blueprint of the brand; much like DNA establishes the unique characteristics of an organism. Establishing this set of qualities in the minds of customers and managing their expectation s to associate these qualities with the companies products and services is what is known as ‘branding’ - like a hot iron on cow hide.

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Article marketing is a powerful tool and one that I use on a daily basis to promote products and deliver value. Make the most out of your time and efforts by creating a submission strategy for your article marketing. Both beginners and experts can and should use a submission strategy that will evolve over time.

Your strategy, at a minimum, should brand you as an expert in your field, define your target audience and help you measure your results. Use your word processing program to develop your strategy and keep it front and center when writing and submitting your articles.

To begin creating your article submission strategy answer the questions below:
1. Your target audience: Who is your most desired reader? What size business does your reader own or work for? What needs does your desired reader have that you can fulfill?

2. Submission goals: Are you submitting in order to receive incoming live one-way links? Will you be promoting a blog, forum or website? Do you hope to become an expert and prove your capabilities? Are you hoping to increase sales of a particular product or service?

3. Search engine benefits: What targeted keywords will you use in your title, article and byline? How will the one-way links from sites publishing your articles increase your search engine rankings? Will you agree to a reciprocal link if asked by a publisher? Will you display a “Featured Author” graphic on your site if requested by the publisher?

4. Submission formats: Which of these formats will you offer when submitting your articles? PDF HTML Word Text

5. Submission list: Will you be submitting your articles in print and/or online? Do you have an existing submission list that targets topics of interest to your target audience. If you do not have a submission list where will you obtain one? How often will you search for new submission sites to add to your list?

6. Scheduling submissions: How often will you write an article for submission? Will you be sending out an article weekly, monthly or quarterly?

7. Stand out in a crowd: What will you do enhance your relationships with publishers? Will you offer customized versions of your articles for free or for fee? Will you display the list sites that published your articles on your web site? Did you consider allowing publishers to insert their affiliate link in your article or your byline?

8. Tracking your results: Have you asked publishers to notify you when they use an article? Will you spend time checking to see if sites publishing your article gave you a live link to your site as required? During what time intervals after submission will you search Google for your article name? How often will you check your website metrics to see traffic driven by your article submissions? You will be ready to forge ahead with a submission strategy after answering these questions and recording your answers.

There are many excellent marketing strategy checklists online that you can use to consider any other questions you should answer for your strategy. You may want to network with your colleagues who are experienced in article submission to get their suggestions for your strategy. Continue updating and using your strategy as your business changes over time and you will be miles ahead of your competition!

Guest post by Bonnie Jo Davis who is an article marketing expert and prolific writer who teaches other businesses how to profit from this free marketing strategy. She created Article Submission Sites in order to provide others with her frequently updated list of submission sites and she offers visitors a free copy of her “Article Submission Summary Sheet” at http://www.articlesubmissionsites.com