How to start socializing online

I am writing several proposals this week, and I completed one last week, for potential clients who are looking for my marketing and PR company, Bisson Barcelona, to assist them with getting started in the world of social media.

For those who have not ventured into this online world as of yet or want some additional ideas to maximize exposure, I offer 8 simple suggestions for helping you to get started.

1. Develop a list of keywords. Use a program like www.wordtracker.com to research words important to your target market. These words should be included in everything you write online, including your profile, blog posts, blog comments, news releases, articles, etc. Using these keywords increases your chances of being found by consumers.
2. Establish a professional email address. Whenever possible, use an email address that contains the name of your blog or website, i.e. traci@themomentrepreneur.com. If needed, you can have an alias email address point to a root address, i.e. tjbisson@gmail.com. This gives a more professional look and sense of credibility.
3. Create a tagline. A tagline should describe what you do/offer/believe in a short sentence or phrase. This is especially important if the name of your company does not describe what you offer. For instance, the name of my company, Bisson Barcelona does not say what I do. Therefore my tagline is: A Unique Image is Critical.
4. Create an email signature. Having a complete email signature is like running a free advertisement every time you send an email. Include your name, company name, address, phone numbers, website and/or blog address, tagline and a few social networking links (i.e. Follow me on Twitter). I also include a message at the bottom of The Mom Entrepreneur signature that says "Find a sponsor for your web site. Click here to get paid for your great content". This is a text link for one of my affiliate marketing programs.
5. Write a professional bio. Your bio should outline your experience, credentials and anything else you feel is important for your target audience to be aware of. This is especially important when trying to establish your personal brand. Use this bio, tweaking as needed for the different social networking sites, on your blog, website and anywhere else your profile appears online.
6. Create a blog and syndicate. Blogs have become everyone's publishing platform. Use this medium for informing, educating and keeping your target market updated. Establish yourself as an expert that readers turn to again and again for important information. Syndicate your blog through www.feedburner.com in order to reach a larger audience.
7. Connect through social networking sites. Determine which social networking sites you should invest your time connecting through. You want sites that reach your target market or that allow you to connect with peers for support. A good resource is the list on Wikipedia. Start with three sites and maximize your exposure. Don't overdo it or you are bound to give up because it will be too time consuming to keep up with.
8. Place well-written articles online. Articles rich with keywords and placed with online article directories are a great way to spread your expertise virally. Article directories are a great source of information for bloggers and others looking for content for their posts. Your bio information, included with every article, is now showing up in several different locations online increasing your chances of being found. There are hundreds of article directories to choose from. I suggest placing your articles with the top directories according to Alexa and page rank.

Once you have spent time perfecting your online image and connecting socially, there are dozens of additional ways to network online depending on your goals. There are also programs that allow you to simplify the flow of communication to your target audience like HelloTxt, which lets you update your status and read your friends' status across all main microblogging and social networks all at once. When you are comfortable that your online presence is established, you can begin cross promoting blogs, websites, profiles, etc. with widgets and RSS feeds.

The social networking world is endless and you can stay up all night exploring, researching and learning about all of the new fun tools and sites. Believe me I know. Just take a deep breath, start slow and be thorough in your approach. This will ensure a positive experience in cyber space.

If you have additional suggestions or ideas, please let me know. Thanks!