Networking: Tap into the Power of Keywords and Strategic Linking!

By Dina Giolitto

Do you use Ryze or LinkedIn to promote your web based business? If so, you may have noticed that everything is linked to everything else. Connections happening everywhere! It's kind of like real life, but far more obvious because it's in print before your eyes. But have you ever thought about the relationship between keywords and online networking? Keywords are the very thing that drives your network connections.

You can use keywords and strategic linking to attract people who can help you reach your online business goals. Below, I illustrate this point with examples from own experiences on the Ryze network.

Include Keywords In Your Personal Profile

On your personal Ryze page, you get to fill in your name and geographic location. Right away, the location is a little ping that connects you to anyone else who occupies that location. If you click right on the state where you live, you can "pivot" on the word to see a list of every Ryze member who lives in that state, too.

The same goes for all of the other live links you get on Ryze. You are in control of these links. If you'd like to leverage the free links you get for personal hobbies and interests, type in the words as they're most commonly known (that would be keyword form).

For example, if you're a golfer and you want to meet other golfers, you can attract the most golf enthusiasts with the simple keyword "golf." You can of course type in something like "putting around" but what other golfer is going to choose those exact words for his interest list? Nobody. Maybe one other guy, and if you can find him then you're soulmates and should probably marry each other. Just kidding!

Remember, the point of online network links is not to be original, but to make connections. You can be as original as you want on your Ryze homepage.

Target Your Links and Build Beneficial Relationships

Now if you're a slick businessperson, you'll realize how to "work your Ryze page" to get the most out of your linking opportunities. In much the same way that a smart advertiser pulls in his audience using keywords and highly targeted copy in every ad he writes, you should be pointing all your Ryze links to the people, groups, and opportunities that will point your business in a highly focused and profitable direction.

I've noticed that some Ryze members try to really work the Friends List angle. Every once in a while an aggressive Ryzer sends me a message like, "Hi Dina, I noticed you didn't say hello when you stopped by my page." And then they want to add me to their Friends list right away.

First of all, I know for a fact that I never Ryzed by Joe Bagadonuts's Ryze page, and he's not going to trick me into thinking I did. So tone it down, Joe, you're coming on too strong.

Second of all, I have my own theory about Ryze, and it's that adding everyone to my Friends List is going to defeat the purpose of me being there in the first place.

Think about this: What if you could add every single member of Ryze to your Friend's List? Pretty cool, huh? You'd be royally hooked up with awesome connections! Right?

No. You'd be right back where you started on Ryze. A massive pool of connections to pore through to do some decent business, and you don't know where to start. Kinda paradoxical, isn't it.

Joining the Right Networks Will Bring Hits to Your Page

When you first join Ryze, what you should ideally be doing is joining networks. You should join the ones that will make the most sense to help in forwarding your business objective. That's how you get "hits" to your page. It's just like the internet, but on a smaller scale. You must get out there in order for people to see you and explore what you can offer them.

Now, suppose you sell all-natural coffee, and you want to do some writing for the coffee industry as well as put out a newsletter to your email subscriber list of coffee drinkers, which you don't have yet because you only just started your business. Also, somewhere down the line maybe you'd like to revamp your website, but that's not in the budget right now.

Your plan should be to join a network of coffee fans, another network of natural foodies, a writing group, an email and/or ezine publishing group, and a web design group.

Existing members of each of those networks will lure you into conversations that appeal to you because they cover the same topics you represent with your business and objectives. In talking with them over time, you'll develop mutually beneficial relationships with these people.

Another perk of joining the right networks: new Ryzers and Floating Ryzers who "Ryze on by" the networks will scan the list of members for each networks you joined, see your name, and maybe reach out to make a connection with you.

That's the proper way to "target" your Ryze networking skills, and carve a path to success and prosperity for your home-based web business.

Your Friends List is Your Circle of Trust

So now you're probably wondering what the heck that Friends List is for? Well, your Friends may be the people who pulled you into Ryze in the first place. My Friends list orginates from the first dot-com group that I worked for, whose members all belonged to Ryze and urged me to join.

I in turn "pulled in" other people who I knew from the outside world, and anchored them to my Friends group. In my opinion, and if you don't agree with this, that's perfectly okay... your Ryze Friends List should be a cluster of "set connections" - your Circle of Trust. It should consist of the people who you've had positive prior experiences, are making current plans with, and of course have established solid, long-term relationships.

I don't know about you, but I'd much rather make Ryze contacts with people who I KNOW AND TRUST than random other people who just added me to their friend list to build a huge following. Me, I want strong links in my people chain. But that's just me.

Example: suppose I'm looking to hire a tech guy. Will I look for a tech guy that's connected to a person I barely know? Or one who a good friend of mine has had work done for? Of course, the second option- we feel more comfortable doing business with people who our friends trust. All the more reason to keep your Ryze Friends List "pure." I can't explain it any better than that.

Of course, not every group on Ryze is going to be related to your business. You can join all kinds of groups for the social aspect alone. That's perfectly okay. Another cool thing about online networking is that you can keep your groups separate if you want!

The best online networks, like Ryze, are ingeniously designed to make the most of every facet of your business and life. In much the same way we make real-time connections, online networks afford opportunities to build profitable and trusting relationships. Why not use that to your advantage?

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Find out how crisp, targeted copywriting can make a world of difference for your business. Dina Giolitto is a Copywriting Consultant with ten years of experience. Visit http://Wordfeeder.com for free tips on branding, copywriting, article marketing, and more.

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