Ecademy.com is one of the most popular and influential business-focused social networking websites. While most of the traffic comes from the UK, a growing volume comes from the US and other countries. Ecademy can be a powerful social networking tool to grow your business contacts and professional profile.
One way to focus your use of Ecademy is to establish a special interest “Group”. This can be used for a variety of purposes. Why not use it to announce an event, connect with your customers, or as a forum for your network contacts to stay in touch? You may even want to use it to share business advice and experience, to promote your business and what it has to offer, or as a private place to work on projects with your network.
Start
First, you will need to create your personal Ecademy account. Once that’s set up, you can click on the Groups page and ‘Create New Group’. You can use the edit pages to advertise your business and events, as well as invite contacts.
What keywords?
Remember that the Title of your group is incredibly important as it will be visible on search engines, including Google.
Therefore, include business keywords in your title to give you a better chance of being found by people who need your help, expertise, or services. Select keywords relevant to your audience, target market, or industry so you can be identified as a specialist or thought leader in your hot topic. Choose a niche or topic that allows you to demonstrate your expertise to your target audience. You can also include a geographic area in your keywords, if you’re targeting a particular region. It’s wise to do some research before selecting keywords, for example by looking at other successful Academy Groups, industry forums, or Google’s External Keyword Tool for topic and keyword popularity. Or ask your members or potential customers in a quick survey which niche topics would be the most valuable to learn about and connect with in an online group.
appearance is important
Make sure your group’s home page is attractive and informative, as it’s essentially an advertisement for what you offer. Add images and make it a welcoming and interesting home page. If you’re new to HTML, ask for advice to help make your presentation the best it can be. Ecademy networkers are extremely helpful online! Group meetings are promoted in Academy newsletters so that a wide range of people can see them. This is why presenting them online is very important.
Build your group numbers
A word of advice from prolific academics and social media users Andrew Widgery and Phil Calvert: Once you’ve created your group, the best thing to do is advertise it to your clients with a warm cover letter attached in a Word document, expressing why what has started this group and the benefits of being a member for them.
Post this message to the profiles of those you wish to add to Ecademy, inviting them to join the Group. When they join, be courteous, prompt, and professional, thanking them for their support.
Please continue to add new and engaging content to the group through threads and event pages. The more there is for people to watch, the more likely they are to take an interest and join your group.
Organize suitable meetings and events
Your group won’t just be an online forum; For effective business networking, it pays to meet in person or in a group, so host meetings or events to connect offline. This offers you the opportunity to build rapport, rapport, and group synergy. Be sure to find an appropriate location in your geographic location. For one-on-one meetings, pubs and cafes are often convenient meeting points, or select a hotel lobby that reflects your business values. Ask other Ecademy Group members for their local gems to learn about.
Increase your circle of influence
Establishing an Ecademy group can be of great benefit to your professional profile, credibility, and visibility in your niche or industry. Get in the habit of updating your Ecademy Group at least weekly, just like you would any other social media marketing channel.
You can also publicize your Group’s activities in the local media, giving you wide coverage and potential new members. Send a press release to your local media outlets to inspire free coverage for social media growth for your local niche or industry.
You can build connections with people from all kinds of industries who are interested in what you have to offer. Your group will be able to reach people you would never have run into on a day-to-day basis, which means you will increase your circle of influence and be able to help others as well.
Who knows where your group could lead if you’re consistent? It has the potential to bring you more business referrals, new contacts and a wealth of experience in facilitating online discussions and offline events for your target audience. It has the potential to open doors to new contacts and meetings that can help your business grow. There’s only one way to find out if it’s the right tool for you. Establish your Ecademy Group today as part of your social media marketing business strategy and get contacts.