Developing a Digital strategy 012 – Professional Social Media and which Sites to Join

Now that you have done the first steps of connecting online – you have your information stream (RSS feed, Feedly) and ability to post and connect information (twitter) what’s next? How do you get your site noticed?

Problogger on the ‘Myth of Great Content’ Marketing Itself‘:

• ‘Great content will market itself’
• ‘Write it and they will come’
• ‘Quality Content = Readers’

Good content is not enough.  There are too many sites for people to be able to find you unless you know how to connect with them. Many websites with lots of good content, great ideas don’t get off the ground because they are not found.

Sometimes a great site is found and the word is spread (the site ‘goes viral’) to many networks, but rather than waiting for fate there are steps you can take to connect. Here’s one step.

LinkedIn – the ‘professional version’ of Facebook

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. As of October 2009, LinkedIn had more than 50 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

If you have any kind of business online please add yourself to LinkedIn.  Adding a basic profile doesn’t take long and with your information visible people will come and find you.

You can also add your presentations, information about your website, and begin to interact by following groups and participate in areas that are specific to your area (eg Health2.0, Online Publishers network, Medpedia, Physiopedia…).

If you have a blog, make sure you add the RSS feed so that any new posts you write appear there as well.

Then get into the habit of looking people up you’ve met on LinkedIn and connecting.  Very soon you’ll have a big network that is relevant to you and what you do.