I read an article this week in October’s Advertising & Marketing Review on social marketing and networking. While it was a great article, I thought it concentrated too heavily on the online aspect. While online social networking is definitely growing at an alarming rate and can be a valuable new tool – I think face-to-face is also worth writing about.<br /><br />(These days you can’t swing a mouse over your head without hitting someone that’s on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Bacn or any of the others. These are great ‘virtual’ social networking platforms and a lot of what is to follow will have relevance in the online realm, too.)<br /><br />For any size business, physical social networking (vs. virtual social networking), plays a very important role in getting new business. More than 75% of Brand Iron’s business comes from our network of partners, associates and clients. It can be a very cost-effective tool OR it can be a complete waste of time. In this article I wanted to give you some simple steps to follow so you can effectively integrate social marketing into your brand.<br /><br />● Research. <br />See what is available in your local area. A lot of national organizations have local chapters. Make a list of everything available, whether it’s in your direct space or on the fringe. When compiling this list, it’s okay to be too broad.<br /><br />● Set goals.<br />What do you want to accomplish from your social networks? Figure out if you want to grow your sales funnel, increase conversions, raise awareness of your company, etc.  Depending on your goals, join the group that has the greatest potential to help you reach those goals. For example, if you want to increase awareness of your company, you would benefit greatest from a large group where you could get a lot of exposure. On the flip side, if you are looking to increase sales in a high dollar market, join a smaller group that will allow you to build the kind of life-long relationships your sales process requires.<br /><br />● Join and get involved.<br />Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start slowly and be committed to the group(s) you do join. A group is only as effective as each member, and if everyone gives it the attention it deserves – everyone will be reaping the rewards. <br /><br />Use what you learn from the other members. If you are having a business problem, chances are that you aren’t the first to have this problem, and others in your group might have valuable advice for you.  Also, use your group as a test market and collaborate on your new products, services or processes.<br /><br />● Track.<br />Make sure you develop a system for tracking the effectiveness of each group. Whether it’s tracking new leads, measuring exposure or building your database – you’ll need to get sophisticated.<br /><br />● Evaluate<br />Every year, evaluate your networking groups against the goals you established in the beginning. This should be easy if you’ve been tracking results throughout the term.  Keep the winners and find replacements for the losers.<br /><br />Social networking can play a large role when developing and building brand. The new connections you make will help you drive business and increase your revenue. Brand Iron can help you establish a targeted social (physical and virtual) networking strategy.   <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">PS – Brand Iron is getting ready to launch “BIZfuse” a Denver-based, social networking group of professionals that exchange ideas and meet to discuss various industry-related topics. <br />Stay tuned...</span><br /><br />By Josh Barker, Brand Wrangler