Beyond Facebook and Twitter - Harnessing Niche Social Networks

You’ve established your client’s presence on the major general Social Networks, and have successfully utilized the tools and features that have helped grow their business and brand authority.  Well done!  Effective marketing with the big networks such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn is a “must” for today’s business, and maintaining regular activity and reputation monitoring are part of your ongoing tasks as a Social Media Marketing Specialist.

But is that all there is?  Why not venture out and take a look around to see what else is going on?

Far from being the only networking options, (and at the risk of suffering what’s being coined “Facebook Fatigue”), it’s worth considering joining one or two niche Social Networks in your client’s industry, for yet more additional exposure, brand recognition, and as a valuable market research strategy outside the realms of the giant networks.

Remember, 75% of Internet Users were involved in Social Networking in 2008, and they weren’t all on Facebook or Twitter!  It’s predicted 2009 will continue to see the rise of niche Social Networks, as people want to be a part of an online community where they can contribute and gain something back in a meaningful way.

New niche Social Networks are cropping up everywhere and online community forums are the new way people of like-mind gather and share ideas, information, link exchanges, and forge new joint venture collaborations.  Whatever your client’s industry, be it health supplements or a fitness product, insurance, natural products, or a non-profit organization, you can bet there’s a niche Social Network where not only potential clients are hanging out, but other businesses competitors are tapping into!

As part of the overall Social Media Marketing action plan and strategy, researching and joining a select few niche Social Networks can only be beneficial in many ways, with your client’s active engagement, adding relevant value and gaining information on the current trends in their industry.

How do you find targeted, niche networks for your client to join?  Chances are you’ll easily stumble upon them while surfing Web 2.0 with other activities anyway.  But for a targeted search with your relevant industry key words, you can utilize such research tools as:

• findasocialnetwork.com (doesn’t get any easier than that)

• Zuula (Blog Search Engine)

• BlogPulse

• Google Blog Search

• PRWeb (for recent Press Releases)

• Ning (allowing you to create your own social network or join an existing one.)

There are many options for bringing your client to where their audience is online.  Branch out!