The most important thing to consider before joining an online social networking community is whether your customers are active in social networking. That tip was one of many offered earlier this month by North Star Marketing during a teleconference on how business owners can tap into the marketing potential of various social networking sites.

The Lancaster, Pa.-based marketing company defined a social networking site as "a site that connects a community of people who have similar interests and wish to communicate and share information." Social Networking Web sites are great tools to market your floral business. The best part — most are free to join. Well-known sites include MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Flickr. The key benefits that these social networking sites offer a business include allowing business owners to set up a unique and customized profile, the ability to communicate with customers and other floral industry members via text, audio or video as well as the ability to search the network for others with similar interests.

"A brand can really be strengthened by giving back and by sharing information," said presenter Adam Chlan, North Star Marketing's director of interactive services.

When thinking about joining a social networking community, the most important thing to recognize is whether your customers are currently active in social networking. If your client base is not active, try to discern ways to engage them on these sites and get them to interact — through blogs, how-to videos or industry information. Just remember that once you set up a profile on a social networking site, you need to keep the site up-to-date with content because, as Chlan stated, "the community will just die off" if left to fend for itself. North Star also recommends that businesses provide a link back to their main Web site and check the networking site regularly to interact with clients.

By setting up a profile on any of these social networking sites, you have the potential to increase your client base and get your business into the Internet limelight. SAF members also can share knowledge and get information through the discussion forum on SAF's Web site. 

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

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