Social Networking on Staten Island For Your Business
For many years I lived on Staten Island and did business in Manhattan and Northern NJ. My wife had a local hair salon on Staten Island (Chrysalis Salon) and I decided to commute for business. Eventually I was selling nationally. I enjoyed it for a while, but grew tired of it over time. In those days I felt that Staten Island was a close knit network that I really wasn't a part of. As we get older and want to spend more time with our families many of us choose to simplify life and work closer to home. I made a conscious choice to create a successful business on Staten Island. It takes some effort like anything worthwhile, but it is worth it. Our company, BetterBizWorks, LLC offers web design, Internet marketing and secure business technology solutions for for companies in the New York Area. I wanted a steady flow of customers from Staten Island. I found that social networking was the most effective way to create a steady flow of new customers. It takes time to build relationships that create solid business. This article is about the physical social networking as opposed to virtual networking. Virtual networking has it's place. There are many articles on my the site that can help you with Facebook, Google+, Linked In, Twitter and others. This is about handshaking, socializing and making friends in the real world. The way to start is through a business group you are comfortable with.
There are many groups on Staten Island and elsewhere that claim to be the leaders in networking for your business and all of them have merit of some kind. In the end if you put the would in you'll get the fire going. You can't get a fire without providing the fuel first. In social networking the wood is spending the time learning about other business owners in like fields. Building relationships with strategic partners in those fields, and creating trust through hard work while utilizing the highest ethical standards in your business practice. Most of the people you network with should mirror your demographic footprint, business ethics and style. If you have commonality in these areas, your networking is more likely to succeed. The relationships you forge can last a lifetime.
There are many groups that offer networking. Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start. Some of the organizations that I have enjoyed most are listed here. You may or may not be able to join depending on your industry type because most of them do have a limit in each vertical. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce has been a wonderful organization for me. I have been involved with Business Guild 3. I have made some wonderful friend,s and have created some excellent business relationships here. Business Guild 3 website is www.sibusinessguild3.com The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Business Guild Three holds weekly meetings at The Hilton Garden Inn, Thursday Mornings at 7:30AM at the time of this writing.
Staten Island Business Friends is also an excellent organization. They meet every other week at the Staten Island Hilton Hotel on Tuesday mornings. Their website is www.sibfnetwork.org SIBF offers networking, camaraderie and roundtables that help you grow your business.
Staten Island Business People is a fairly new organization run by John Marino. This organization was started through Facebook. It has grown past 1,600 Members. They hold a large monthly mixer and a few luncheons all over Staten Island. It is a more casual group because there is no formal sit down meeting. They offer more of a cocktail and buffet type social event that works very well. There are different people at different mixers and it's offers a refreshing change to the social networking climate. Their website is www.sibusiness people.com
My favorite group because giving back to the community is important to me is the North Shore Rotary of Staten Island. While this group is mostly about fellowship and philanthropy, some of the best business networking comes as a result of the good we do for the community. The relationships that are built through raising money for local Staten Islanders and people all over the world can last a lifetime. The North Shore Rotary meets weekly on Thursday nights at 7:00pm at La Grecci's The Staaten. Don't join the Rotary for solely for networking. Your main purpose needs to be your need to give back to the community and the world. The networking seems hollow in comparison, but the funny thing is that it is the most rewarding all around. What's true in life is true in this organization. In the last few years we have raised money for Autism, Individuals in need of help, Polio victims, scholarships, exchange programs, and so much more. While doing so business relationships have come from the friendships created through these efforts and nothing compares to the feeling that this produces. The North Shore Rotary Website is www.sinorthshorerotary.org
There are many more networking groups out there like BNI, Le Tip, and so many more. They all have certain advantages. The reward comes from the work you put into forging relationships. You must give more than you get in the beginning. If your not a giver forget about networking because the giving must come before you start to receive.It's always a good policy to give more than you get in a relationship. Within reason of course. Look for a group larger than 20. Get to know the individuals in the group. See if there are strategic advantages to your industry. Build mini power networks within the group. Always make sure you give an excellent value for your services because anything less is a disappointment for all. Most of all enjoy the people, the fellowship and the relations that you create. It should be fun. Feel free to contact me if you need guidance with any of these organizations.
Charles Di Bartolo
212-904-0020
Staten Island Business Friends
BetterBizWorks, LLC has launched Staten Island Business Friends, a business owner's social networking group on Staten Island at www.sibfnetwork.org. Currently there are about 25 members and they meet at The Hilton Garden Inn every other Tuesday morning. There are a few interesting things about this social networking club on Staten Island. There is no pressure for referrals from the group. As a matter of fact referrals aren't even mentioned at the meetings. The referrals come as a result of the fellowship from within the group. SIBF has guest speakers, round tables, open discussions, parties, and they work together to help each other improve business. If you are looking for a business networking opportunity with a group that meets for breakfast in Staten Island. This is a wonderful group. You will also improve your business in the process.
A Website Without Marketing Is…
A website without a marketing plan is a lonely soul. If you build it they might come, but usually not. At least not without a marketing plan. In my travels I have listened to many business plans. Everyone is going into business online and that's great. The migration of the world's business from brick and mortar to virtual is a natural and essential paradigm shift. It is a necessity for business to constantly move toward efficiency and improvement. the improvement portion should include a rational marketing plan in conjunction with an online plan.
Online marketing doesn't have to cost a bundle. It could include guerilla marketing which is taking advantage of FREE internet marketing. Building your site organically with the proper keywords and content is important. analyzing search data to shape your business doesn't have to cost anything. Social networking is also free and effective for most industries. A website without marketing is like a dinner Table without the tableware. You can try serving food but no one can eat it. You can build a beautiful website but if nobody can access it or if they don't know about you, you can't sell anything.
You can market traditionally. there is nothing wrong with TV, radio, print and mail and these channels for marketing should be used, but they should be utilized in conjunction with an internet guerilla marketing plan. This plan should be amended and added to as your marketing budget increases. The easiest and most convenient online marketing is Pay-Per-Click advertising. If you ever noticed the sponsored ads on Google, Yahoo!, Big, Facebook, etc. these ads are usually placed at the top or right side of the search engine pages. these ads are usually pay per click ads. Many people don't even realize these ads are sponsored by people like you. Pay-Per-Click advertising has many advantages. It can be turned on or off at a moments notice. This allows a business owner to implement a program when things are slow and turn it off or slow it down when things are getting to hectic. Remember to embrace hectic. That's what we all live for. Another advantage of Pay-Per Click ads is you only pay for the people who click on your ad and got to your website. In the meantime you are raising brand awareness because many more people are seeing your ad even if they aren't clicking on it. The cost of an average click when using pay per click advertising is about $1.25 per click at the time of this writing. It has been steadily on the rise at about a 20% increase per year over the last few years. The cost of pay per click ads is settled by auction in most cases. Supply and demand creates the cost basis on Google. Money can be saved by picking certain days of the week or times of day, when you run your ads, but those ads may be less effective. I recommend starting with Google because they have the best tools to teach you and help you to build an effective marketing program for pay per click ads. Later Google can help you integrate television and radio ads to compliment your online ads.
If you want to start a low cost marketing campaign start with a couple of free ways to market your business. Sign up for a few social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and any others that you feel are appropriate for your business. Add you business information to Google Places and online directories like www.BetterBizList.com, www.EastCoastCuisine.com or any of the directories that you prefer. You may want to create a video and post it on YouTube. Then you can also post it on your website and social networking sites to help drive traffic to your website.
Your website should also collect email addresses. Then you should market to them with a monthly or quarterly newsletter. You can tailor emails to particular interests and demographics. Remember to send something out for birthdays or special events. You can get a custom email marketing plan at www.BetterBizMail.com They offer up to 50,000 emails per month for $15.00. Part of the package includes the creation a completely custom email page that will market your brand effectively.
Make sure your website has content that your customers are looking for. Use Google Trends and Google keyword tools to find words and trends that people are searching for. Write content for your customers, not the search engines and the traffic will follow. Update your constant on a regular basis. Keep your website looking fresh so customers want to come back. Make sure there is plenty of pictures, videos and interaction. A blog helps quite a bit. There are many article on the basics of marketing here. Feel free to browse around and learn.
The point of all this is that you don't have to spend a fortune on internet marketing to get started. We offer free seminars and workshops to help you market on the internet. If you market your website correctly it will reward you with the proper return on investment. A website without marketing is a lonely place. Save solitude for your personal time not your website.
Good luck with your online endeavors. May they be prosperous and fun.