Alyssa Gregory has written a great article with tips for creating your  social media marketing plan. The article is entitled Tips for Using Blogs, Twitter and Facebook to Find New Clients . While this is not a top-ten list type post, it is a collection of best practices that when used consistently will build a following of loyal fans for your content.

So, you are out there on the web, actively publishing blogs or videos about something. But what exactly are you getting for that effort? Are you getting one time sales, or long term investments?

A lead is a person that is interested in what you are promoting. It might be a weight-loss product, or a financial service.  They might buy the product. But their interest is over once they make the decision to purchase or not. They are a one-time sale, for all intents and purposes.

A following is a person that is interested in what you are doing. They may, or may not, be interested in what you are offering in your promotion, but they are interested in how you are promoting and what you have to say. They are long term investments.

And in the long run, that following has far greater potential. The following will keep listening long after this particular product offering is gone. And when you do have a new product offering, that following is there for you to spread the word to, because they were following what you were doing. You have earned their trust. And they will want to buy a product you recommend if it solves a current problem of theirs.

If you are only generating leads, then with each new product offering you will have to develop those leads all over again. Yes, you still have your leads of those that purchased your previous offering, but you will have to recapture that previous lead’s interest.

I like to think of it like this: Would you rather take a $100 sale today, or an average $5 sale each month over the next two years? I know which one I would choose.

Keep this in mind as you plum the depths of Twitter and Facebook and MySpace. Be sure you are developing a following.

There has been a lot of talk about using Twitter to help build your business. So I decided to sign up for an account and see what all the fuss was about.

There are good reasons why marketers would want to use Twitter. According to compete.com, Twitter has grown by over ten million visitors in the last year:

[Update 05/11/2009: Twitter has now grown by ten million users in the last two months.]

And every good marketer knows, you go where the people are going.

But is it the right place to build a business? You do not walk into a town hall meeting or a concert and just start shouting “Hey everybody, look at what I am selling!” It is not the right forum. People will shun you faster than my cat inhales her dinner.

And so far, that’s what I see the majority of people doing on Twitter. Those that are using it to build their business are busy shouting about the latest and greatest training videos or mortgages or whatever it is they sell.

And those that are using it to communicate with friends are doing just that, communicating. And that is what social networks are supposed to be about. Engaging in conversation. I heard a great analogy the other day: social networks are internet cocktail parties. Treat them like that, and they will serve you well.

Engage people in conversations about topics that are mutually interesting. Use the search bar located on your right-hand side panel to find tweets about topics that interest you. Better yet, look for tweets that are relevant to your products or services. Tweet a question to those people who are tweeting about those topics. Strike up a conversation. When someone follows you, send them a mention and get to know them.

All marketers should have this thought first and foremost in their minds: your marketing success is entirely dependent upon knowing your prospect’s wants and desires. How are you going to know that without talking with them rather than at them?

How are you using Twitter? Do you have a success story that centers around Twitter? Be sure to leave a comment!

A client of mine shared this article with me. She is a realtor who has just started using Facebook to help broaden here sphere of influence and stay in touch with her friends and previous clients. Even if you are not in real estate, this article has great tips for using Facebook.

You can find the article here. http://www.realtor.org/wps/wcm/connect/rmo-content/rmo/RMOtechnology/AskMrInternet/Columns/0905_mrinternet_facebook