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June 1' 2010
The phenomenon of online social networking has always been popular among the masses and has expanded worldwide over the years. It started with friends needing to chat and catch up with their buddies and create new ones but now, various businesses and organizations are banking on the ‘social’ power of social networking sites to promote their products and services.
Social networking allows online individuals to share their own interests with people of the online community. With features and functions that offer a means of interacting with other people on Internet, this method is now being used as a means to market online businesses on the Web as well.
Inviting and Engaging Members through Social Network
Once an organization has created and customized a social network, the next step is to invite fans, members and customers to join. There are a variety of ways to introduce the social network to an organization’s key audiences:
 Invite members via email
Include a link to the new network on the organization’s website
Announce the new social network through other social media and sharing tools
Add the social network info to promotional materials, correspondence, invoices, etc.
Promote the social network at events
The most important element to growing a member-base in an online community is to offer value to the members, giving them a reason to return. In order to acquire new members and keep existing members, it is crucial to continuously engage them with good content:
Add regular forum and discussion topics
Include RSS feeds from the organization’s blog or news site, along with other RSS feeds that might interest members
Add articles, whitepapers and news directly to the community
Post videos and photos
Offer special discounts and promotions to members
Encourage members to invite their friends and family to join
Social networks are a great way to build a true community of customers, members and fans online, and connect with them in non-traditional ways.
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