By Bob Jenkins

Would you like to know how to get better results with social networking? Start with your profile.

In a moment, you will learn 3 simple ways you can capture viewers attention, and magnetically attract clients and partners to your business with your profile.

But first, make sure you understand why this is so important to your success.

Like Your Business Card, Your Profile Creates The First Impression

All social networking sites work on the premise of connecting people together who can mutually benefit. To help with this, the user profile is a standard feature.

Your profile includes your username, your photo, and a very concise description of you (typically 40 words or less).

The information you put in your profile is going to turn people on to you or turn people off from you. You don’t want to make them say, “Ah, that’s not really somebody worth knowing”. So you need to make sure your profile is something you’re going to spend a lot of time tweaking.

The better the profile is the more likely you will get people to be attracted to what you’re doing.

Now let’s turn to the 3 steps to creating a powerful profile, and get you the results you are looking for.

  • Use The Same, Brandable Username For All Social Networking Profiles
  • Create An Action-Based Description In Your Profile
  • Put Your Best Face Forward With The Profile Photo

Brand Yourself With An Obvious Username
When you first create your accounts on social networks, you have to come up with a username. This is something you can’t change later within an account, so get it right the first time.

Your username must have these characteristics:

  • It’s obviously you
  • It’s easy to spell
  • It’s easy to remember

Your own name is the best username to have if it’s still available because it’s what people who know you already will search for. If your name is hard to spell or is too common, though, you’ll want to get a second account that fits the characteristics above.

For example, my friend Scott’s initial Twitter account was ScottTousignant which is not the easiest thing to spell. So he has started to use “thefitb” as his Twitter user name instead.

Same thing with Bob Jenkins. There are so many Bob Jenkinses out there that I came up with BobtheTeacher quite a long time ago for my username on a forum. In fact, it’s been so effective as a username, many people don’t know my real last name!

Whatever your name is just make sure that you’re branding yourself as that name. Don’t use some adjective that doesn’t really hone into what you’re really all about.

Use the same username for all of the social networking sites because some people will find you on Twitter or Facebook or MySpace, and they’ll say, “Well, I’m not really on one of those sites. I wonder if they have a Twitter account or a Facebook account.” If they then just go randomly over to that other site and type in your name and somebody else has it, then you have confused your audience.

In the social networking game, your username is your brand – so grab yours at all the sites you can, even if you simply point the profiles to your main marketing hub and never use the account again.

Create An Action-Based Description In Your Profile

Most people quit social networking sites because they feel they are a waste of time. This is usually due to a poor profile description that attracts the wrong people.

When people see your profile, they want to know what you can do for them. So tell them, very succinctly, what you provide.

This is not a popularity contest, but an opportunity to brand yourself as the expert you are in your specialty area so you attract potential clients and partners – not a bunch of friends who are going to spam you with chaim mail, jokes, and crappy YouTube videos.

So provide a short 1-2 sentence benefit-focused description of what you do for others. This is traditionally called your USP – unique selling position – or what separates you from the rest of the pack.

You must also include a link to your marketing hub – your central location online. This should be your blog, but it can be any website you control and have a specific domain URL for. (If you don’t have a blog or website yet, then link all your profiles to the same Squidoo lensmaster page or profile page on your favorite social networking site until you get one.)

You need to make that link clickable so your visitors and new friends can go to your website when they want to find out more about you.

To do this, you need to type the full URL, such as http://DiscoverSocialNetworking.com. On most sites, simply typing DiscoverSocialNetworking.com will not create a clickable link.

After you create your profile, test the link to make sure it goes to the right page!

Put Your Best Face Forward With Your Profile Photo

To gain attention, trust, and referrals, you need to have a very good profile photo. A professional photo is always a good thing to have in business. But you don’t have to spend a hundred dollars for a half hour sitting or more right away. Keep in mind that social networking sites are not unlike a dating site. And fairly or unfairly, you will be judged by your picture.

Be sure your photo captures your energy shows off your personality. Typically a good profile photo is a head shot that shows you in a positive mood, and energized, looking directly at the viewer.

No matter what you look like, your charisma, personality, and energy are going to be what people are looking for. They’re not looking for a model. They’re looking for somebody who’s confident and who’s happy with their life. And even if you feel that’s a stretch for you to do, that’s the kind of picture that you want to try to have in your profile.

Improving Your Profile Will Improve Your Results

Implement the strategies you’ve just learned in the last few minutes and you will see improved results. And remember – unlike a business card you’re stuck with until you get rid of all 500 – you can change your profile at anytime.

You want your visitors to feel like they must get to know you – and perhaps that they already do in some way.

With a great username, clear mission statement linked to your blog, and an attractive photo, your profile will put you ahead of your competition in the social networking arena.

Bob Jenkins teaches business owners how to use internet marketing strategies effectively to attract more customers and get more sales – without spending a fortune on advertising. Discover more ways to power your business with social networking at www.DiscoverSocialNetworking.com.

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Please leave comments below, and include links to your Twitter and Facebook profiles.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Ning.

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Article Series - Social Networking

  1. 5 Ways You Can Build Your Reputation Online
  2. 3 Ways To Power Up Your Profile

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