What Every Affiliate Marketer Needs to Know Part 4

Lets take a little recap of the information in the first three articles in this series. We have learned:

1.) Article writing is a great foundation for building 'Name Recognition' for you

2.) Blogging gives you a platform for offering good information

3.) eNewsletters help build a list of people interested in what you have to say

4.) eBooks are a super viral technique for getting your name and work 'out there' on the Internet

There are many other techniques for building trust. Using these methods will open doors that you did not even know where there. Now we need to discuss a great and relatively new phenomenon on the Internet - Social Networking.

Social Networking offers you a sure fire way for develop a following that otherwise would take years. There are numerous website communities that will help you become a 'recognized' authority on your chosen subject. Some of these are Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, Delicious, Squidoo, etc.

Social Networking service is defined by Wikipedia as: A social network service focuses on building on-line communities of people who share interests and

activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.

Social networking has created new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with MySpace and Facebook being the most widely used in North America;[1] Nexopia (mostly in Canada);[2] Bebo,[3] Facebook, Hi5, MySpace, Tagged, Xing;[4] and Skyrock in parts of Europe;[5] Orkut and Hi5 in South America and Central America;[6] and Friendster, Orkut, Xiaonei and Cyworld in Asia and the Pacific Islands.

The Social Network Seevices have offered an immense opportunity for each aspiring Affiliate Marketer to garner followers who are really interested in what they have to say. There are some 'Internet Gurus' who have spent literally 10 years or more slowly building a following. When you look closely at these 'Internet Personalities' you'll see that they are in constant communication with their 'list' and they are always offering something 'gratis' that leads into a sale of a larger product. They spend a lot of time trying to earn 'trust' in what they say.

Some of the email newsletter distribution companies have now begun to give you the option of notifying other social networking communities when you publish your newsletter. This is an added advantage because it cuts out some of the work for you.

To say the least, Social Network marketing is on the rise and, if you use them wisely, can give your 'trust building' and 'name recognition' campaigns a boost. The secret is using them to your best advantage without trying to 'Spam" them with overt offers to sell. Remember, build trust first. After building trust, which does take time and effort, people will come to you when they are looking for a 'particular' niche product with which they know you are familiar.

Building a firm foundation of trust and knowledge will build you a successful business. My best advice is to start yesterday. If you put off beginning your 'campaign' until next month, you'll be a month behind those who start today.