After over a year of making myself crazy trying to get the real scoop on web 2.0 marketing (by actually trying just about everything), I realized I had found the answer to my inability to be a salesperson. You see, like many others in the world of Internet marketing, I really cannot simply "sell things." However, one thing I CAN do is tell stories. You can too, I'll show you how I do it. Social media marketing (aka web 2.0 marketing) saved my business from failure, period.

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Branding Yourself (Not Your Company Or Affiliate Products) In Social Media Marketing.

By Sheree Motiska | March 21, 2009

In the age of social media, we are ALL still navigating the landscape and trying to find the balance allowing the “marketing” into social media. This whole community feel that is becoming so powerful a part of the “new web” is still developing right now and we are all a part of it.

Personally, I still learn something new, just by listening and sharing ideas, every single day.

I am seeing (especially on Twitter lately) a huge market for the “social media quick fix” and many staking claim to having such a fix getting a lot of attention right now.

Trust me, there are NO quick fixes. Building a business, whether through traditional marketing methods, social media marketing, or (ideally) a balance of both, takes time and hard work.

The key is to never stop learning. As soon as you “know everything,” it’s all over for you.

To get back to my original point, the importance of branding yourself using social media marketing channels, let’s look at what we mean.

Many people who are just starting out in Internet marketing, in general, make a common mistake. They find a company, a “system,” a “guru,” or a product and they make their social media presence into a billboard for their “great Internet marketing hope.”

Just remember, there is never “just one answer” to finding what will work for you as an upcoming online entrepreneur. While it’s a great idea to take your blog and make it focused on one or more general marketing strategies that YOU have personally used and found to be useful and that you have a strong talent in using, it’s better to make your presence your own, not an advertising campaign for someone else. It’s also important to remember to always be open to trying new strategies that may fit into your overall marketing plan instead of just relying on one strategy.

The point of social media marketing is to:

1. Listen to your fellow online entrepreneurs and find new ideas that will help you to find your own voice.
2. Explore what your audience and possible future customers or business associates are asking about that, perhaps, you can honestly help them with. This will show that you are a valuable member of the community and not simply there to sell things.
3. Share your new ideas or share ideas that have honestly helped you. Instead of sharing sales pages or “commercial” videos in social media profiles (eg. Twitter, social bookmarking sites, You Tube), share blog posts and “how to ” videos that have helped you.
4. Be yourself! Share what you believe in, share your stories, share your failures and bad choices to help others avoid mistakes and scams. But don’t try to be something you’re not because, you’re not fooling anyone.
5. Ask questions. There are plenty of people out there in the world of social media who are more than willing to help. The more you learn, the better off you’ll be. NEVER stop learning.

Everyone is an “expert” in something. Once you figure out your true strengths and weaknesses, social media marketing will become less “marketing” and more of a chance to become part of a “collective intelligence” like it’s meant to be. Once that happens, you’ll b e amazed at the results.

Remember, once you stop worrying about the “making money online” part, then, and only then, will you ever begin to move toward building a real business and making real money online.

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