It’s easy to get sucked into a new site or game – it’s one reason many people I know (including me) avoid Farmville and Mafia Wars on Facebook. While the temptation to play along with friends and have a bit of fun appeals to the procrastinating child in me, the idea of succumbing to a game and thinking of nothing else will hardly do wonders for my word count, and my paycheck. Other social network sites, while equally addictive, do stand to offer some benefit in the way of promotion and actual networking with interested connections, and some provide enough entertainment that one might forget his true purpose for signing on.

One can use Facebook and Twitter and know that micro-blog posts on products and services should be made, and that the fan pages need updating, but what about lesser known sites where you have accounts, or should have a presence? On the outset, many social media sites may not appear to have potential for marketing, but if you know how to approach people who find you online, you may find you can have your fun and guide others toward what you have to offer without coming on like a hard sell. Depending on your industry – retail or B2B, hospitality and travel or other professional services – you can provide valuable information to those who seek it.

Let’s take a look at four social sites, each used for a different purpose, to see how they can assist in your online marketing.

Foodbuzz: For close to four years, chefs and foodies alike have used this tasty social network to share recipes and recommend meat and veg pairings, as well as recommend favorite restaurants. For those working in the food/hospitality industry, a profile on Foodbuzz presents a great opportunity to share house recipes and interact with people who have reviewed your establishment. Foodbuzz puts you in touch with some of the more prolific food bloggers around, allowing for possible further promotion. Posts to Foodbuzz may also integrate with Twitter to increase marketing potential and bring food-serious folks to your Foodbuzz profile, and consequently to your main site.

43 Things: Made your bucket list yet? 43 Things makes it a bit more manageable for you. Not only can you list the requisite number of things you want to accomplish in a year, or within your lifetime, you can connect with people who have either done it or want to. If you’re an editor, you might wish to look for people who dream of writing that novel, while those in the travel/tourism industry may be able to guide wannabe world travelers to good discounts on hotels and airfare to kick start their dreams. Include your own goal list and get to know the people you can help, and who can help you in return.

43 Places: From the people who brought you 43 Things, this network narrows the niche even further by focusing solely on travel and information/photo sharing. A site like this can prove beneficial for anybody who thrives on tourist business – the beach side cafe, the bed and breakfast inn, the specialized tour operator. Research people interested in your area and act as the local expert – provide suggested itineraries and tips for travel to your region while reminding them of what you offer.

Yelp: Yelp is perhaps the best known of these listed here, and likely one you might have on your smart phone for instant consultation. While one vaguely familiar with the site might think it’s solely dedicated to restaurant reviews, Yelp actually provided customer-based opinions on a variety of businesses, everything from retail boutiques to hotels. If you own a business, chances are you have a listing here you need to unlock and enhance. Take the initiative to add photos to your listing and respond to reviews, good or bad. Also, say you operate a hotel or B&B, you can use Yelp to create a database of recommended services around you, then use Yelp’s widget function to keep the information on your main site. Visitors will then see you have more to offer them when they come to your town.

Above all else when entering the social media fray: be courteous and knowledgeable, and don’t allow hard advertisement of your business overshadow the social nature of these sites. Let your personality shine through these social networks to attract followers, and business.

Kathryn Lively is a social media specialist assisting clients with social media writing services and Virginia web design.

Only minutes after Google released its answer to Twitter and Facebook, Google Buzz, there has been lots of talk about how Buzz will change social media marketing strategies. Has it? So far, even social media marketers and interactive marketing professionals including Mashable and Forrester’s Augie Ray has published their take on Google’s potential Twitter or Facebook rival.

While it’s too early to predict how Google Buzz will fare in the social media sphere, it’s easy to tell the difference between Buzz and its competing social sites. Whether you like it or not, Google is abuzz with something fresh and new when it released Buzz. How will this affect your social media marketing strategies? Here’s how.

Aggregate email and status feed into one.

Not everyone who send emails use Twitter or Facebook. Some Gmail users don’t easily buy into social media sites. Admit it, they’re the types who would rather send and receive thousands of emails everyday than post updates or send tweets. By integrating Gmail and Buzz, Google makes it easier for you to reach those who had reservations about using other social networking sites.

Google Buzz “filters” relevant updates.

I don’t know about you but half of the tweets and Facebook updates I receive are irrelevant. You can’t get rid of the noise and it’s hard to filter messages unless you “unfriend” someone, which is highly unlikely So here comes Buzz with its relevance filtering feature. It’s a quite smarter way of decluttering your space without the need of “unfriending” your friend.

A potential ad strategy.

Yes, Google is still Google. On Google Buzz’s main page, there’s a feature that reads: “Just the good stuff: Buzz recommends interesting posts and weeds out ones you’re likely to skip.” Let’s not speculate too much about Buzz but to recommend what’s interesting may mean another potential ad strategy for Google. Whiles this feature seems to be a part of decluttering your space, users will likely receive data Google wants them to read.

Zelle is a full-time, location independent freelance writer with a degree in Journalism. She also writes for a local medical magazine and seeks to complete a Master Certificate in Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco. She recently founded a blog on article marketing.

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In this social media-mad world, it seems nearly everyone’s firing out blogs and tweets and links like a dizzy gunslinger. But in the rush to participate, too many have missed a key strategy in using social media effectively: Tell a coherent story.

Whether you realize it or not, what you’re creating through Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and so forth is an online persona, a “virtual you.” This online stand-in helps you connect with people around the world.

Experts claim that social media will aid your business by building relationships — the reasoning being that people trust and want to do business with those they know. That’s a fine concept. But before people can feel they have a relationship and trust you, your online presence must exhibit two things: consistency and clarity.

BE REAL, BE CONSISTENT

First thing, decide on your story – who are you? This should match your real-life persona and expertise. If you’re a stock market genius, stick to that. Don’t position yourself as a weekend pig farmer. Social media is all about trust, and you can’t build trust on a lie.

Once you’ve chosen your online story, it’s time for some planning. Writing blogs and tweets can suck up your time if you let it, and a plan helps you focus on best opportunities. Select which topics you want to address, and work from this list. Keep an eye out for well-trafficked blogs and online news channels in your area of expertise and comment on their articles about your chosen topics.

And while you’re at it, be sure all your social media sites work together, each element supporting the next. Don’t be one person on LinkedIn and another on Twitter. In tweets, as well as updates to your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, mention your newest blog, article, or video clip. Use these portals to drive traffic to your website, where people can learn more about you and build a relationship.

THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET

Realize that all your tweets, blog postings, and comments tell a cumulative story about you in the minds of those you network with. It’s your job to make that story clear.

In order for others to trust you, they first need to feel they “get” you. And they can’t get you when your social media presence is all over the map. Have you tweeted on everything from your last meal to your views on capital punishment? Before making another post, consider what kind of story your posts tell.

My friend Roger is an excellent example of how to do this right. He’s an entertainment lawyer, and all his posts, tweets, status updates, and articles tell one story: “Roger is an expert in the business of entertainment.” (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he really is.)

Roger comments on the latest music and film news, pointing out implications and larger trends. Every tweet, every article adds to his tale of expertise. So when someone in his network needs a top entertainment lawyer, guess who comes to mind?

What Roger doesn’t do is spend time talking about his love of pizza, or the situation in Afghanistan, or a million other topics. He’s clear on the story he’s telling, and he sticks to it. And his clarity makes his message powerful. So follow Roger’s example. Before you post, consider, “Does this fit with my online story?” If it doesn’t, think twice.

TELL STORIES WITHIN YOUR STORY

And while you’re telling the story of who you are, remember to use actual anecdotes to help get it across. Why? Because stories stick. You don’t have to give a hard sell. Just write a brief blog about a client who faced a challenge that your expertise helped solve – especially if that challenge is one many others are facing. The story will speak for itself.

Social media is well designed for you to comment on both large and small incidents. You don’t have to address big stories if that’s not your thing — just use everyday incidents to help make a point that highlights your expertise.

For example, maybe that interaction in the hospital gift shop demonstrated something to you about how to listen, or a comment overheard at Starbucks reminded you of a key principle of customer service. Keep your story radar active, and always be thinking, “How can this story help those I network with?”

Because in the end, that’s the whole point of building an online persona – connecting and helping others with your brand of expertise. And that’s a story that bears telling over and over again, in any media.

Bruce Hale is a Master Storyteller and Author. He works with individuals and companies that want to improve client relations and increase sales. To find out more about his StorySelling work, visit: http://www.brucetalks.com.