Your Assistant Lisa

 

How You Could Find Social Media “Gold” In Micro-Communities

When it comes to social networking sites we have all heard about the granddaddies of them all – the Facebook’s and the MySpace’s of this world. These sites represent communities with a broad cross-section of different demographics, even though we can narrow down and find smaller groups and chapters within each.

It’s well worth an organization considering involvement in Facebook, specifically. The company page can be a very productive marketing arm for the organization. However, whereas a presence on Facebook may be seen as a broader or more generic approach to marketing, we can also consider targeting micro-communities around the Web, as well.

Micro-communities are essentially social media websites that are very targeted and niche oriented. Even though they are much smaller than the big sites that we just mentioned, they could prove to be highly effective for you if you’re trying to target a specific audience for your organization.

No matter what niche you operate within, the odds are that there is at least one micro-community which is relevant and probably a number of them. Within these communities you will find passionate people who tend to be enthusiastic about their particular field and as we know, this could represent marketing gold.

As part of your social media marketing, you should be on the lookout for micro-communities and be involved in creating a strategy to interact with them appropriately. One strategy does not fit all, but you should also make a judgment about your involvement according to the viability and potential associated.

Always remember that a social media engagement like this requires consistency and longevity. There is no point in creating a presence on Facebook or on Twitter unless you are ready to engage creatively and productively. The same goes here.

While it is true to say that a platform such as Twitter is, due to its size, somewhat more impersonal, micro-communities are not necessarily the same. Therefore, make sure that if you do start engaging in such communities that you continue and that you are always consistent, positive and productive. People will be looking for your interaction and as time goes by will be expecting your opinion on various, topical subjects.

Micro-communities are definitely not the place for overt marketing or spamming in any way. Indeed, you can do a great deal more damage by behaving badly within these communities, as compared to the larger and more generic sites. You should instruct your virtual assistant to look for these communities, analyze their standing and their viability. Once you’ve decided to engage, a policy should be established to ensure that your presence is noted, valued and appreciated.

Once you do interact successfully with your chosen micro-communities you could find exponential gains. As we have mentioned, people within these communities tend to be motivated and enthusiastic and once you have established a good reputation and a good rapport, you could find that the goodwill flows outside of the community itself to other areas.

One micro-community that I enjoy is the Small Business Bonfire Community.  The community is a “social, educational & collaborative community for entrepreneurs.  When you join you are given instant access to small business help, tools, advice and great resources that help you make positive changes to your business.

Social media marketing within micro-communities is a more specialized part of your overall marketing ambition, but could generate widespread benefit and also provide support and guidance for your niche as well as make a few friends along the way.