Open the Door to Networking Opportunities

Lots of online marketers sign up for a Twitter or Facebook account in the hopes of growing their brand and selling their products. However, a smart marketer knows that the key to doing any of that is to grow your relationships first. Build a platform for which your business can stand on. Social media does just that through online networks such as Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook. But, it generates opportunities offline as well in the form of tweet-ups, workshops, and conferences.

My advice – If you want to live your best life then go for the relationships and network!

• Attend local social media conferences, tweet-ups, and networking opportunities
• If there aren’t any close to you, start your own! This positions you as a leader/expert and will grow your personal brand and network beyond your wildest imaginations!
• Use tools like Twitter Search or Yahoo’s Upcoming to find events in your town to attend.
• Even if you don’t have a business, get out and meet the people you converse with online. You never know what they might have or who they know that will take your life to the next level.

Connect with Like-Minded Individuals

Everyone wants to be a part of something, whether it’s a club, group, or organization. You join because you’re surrounded by people that share your same interests. Social media brings people together under the same digital rooftop. You’re able to share ideas and content that relate and interests you. Facebook and Ning come to mind as communities of people sharing their digital content. I even started a Facebook group for Christian Entrepreneurs to participate in a corporate fast. The amount of value harvested from the group is great and has allowed me to narrow down my followers into genuine friends.

My Advice – If you want to live your best life with social media you have to go beyond your network and connect with people that will offer the most value.

• Seek out opportunities and join local groups that cater to your interests.
• Start your own networking group or organization and meet-up at your favorite coffee shop once a month.
• Use tools like Foursquare to “check in” and meet with your online buddies at your favorite spots around town.
• Use WordPress MU to create a network of blogs with people that share your same enthusiasm and passion within your field of expertise.

Learn New Skills

For all my social media vets out there, remember when you didn’t know a lick of HTML? But, now, you know how to customize a Myspace page, your blog, and more! I’m far from the best CSS coder in the world, but I know how to go in and change a few things when it comes to my blog’s look. Best part of all, I didn’t have to spend any money for the lesson, I learned by way of social media. What do you want to learn how to do? Publish a book? Create your own company logo? Cook the perfect meatloaf? It’s all at your fingertips if you really want to know.

My Advice – Living your best life means to constantly learn and grow. Let social media be your teacher and listen intently!

• Have a following on Twitter and Facebook? Maximize their knowledge and ask them questions to your most pressing questions.
• There are tons of video tutorials for almost anything you want to learn on Youtube. Just type “how to” into the Youtube search and watch your brain ooze from your ears!
• Get on BlogtalkRadio and listen to podcasts that cover anything from small business to how to self-publish a book.
• Don’t forget to check out “Wikis” on different topics that interest you. Think of them as online information hubs with the largest being Wikipedia. Here is a list of the Top 28 Wikis to help you learn just about anything you want.

Make More Money

The biggest value that I get out of social media (other than the relationships) is the ability to create my own opportunities. I’m not waiting on a million-dollar check to magically show up at my door (it’d be nice though!). With social media I’ve created a platform for generating extra income that I’m working hard to make my primary income. Life isn’t all about money, but it is a tool we need in order to advance our dreams, desires, and projects.

My Advice – In order to live your best life with social media you have to create your own opportunities.

• Find out what your blog readers, followers, and friends need by running surveys (I use Constant Contact). Ask them what they’re biggest challenge is and how you can help them solve it. I guarantee you’ll come back with nuggets of insight worth more than gold!
• Programs like Google Adsense and Amazon Affiliates are great ways to generate income in relatively easy ways. All it takes is a little trial and error to get a formula that works for your blog.
• The biggest Youtube stars all make their money from sharing Google advertising in their videos. Why not partner with Youtube and do the same?

• Don’t forget to create unique products that speak directly to your following. Here’s a great article on The Importance of Having Your Own Product to Sell.

Get Blessed By Giving

The greatest thing you can do for anyone is to give them information, knowledge, wisdom, advice, tips, etc. And the greatest thing someone can do for you is give you the same back. If, what we give and share brings someone closer to discovering their purpose in life, a new skill, or solving a problem isn’t that worth more than money? Social media is about giving and receiving, sowing and reaping. It’s as much about the Tweet as it is the re-tweet. It’s a powerful collection of tools that help us enrich each others’ lives.

Follower Feed-back: Question – “How does social media help you live your best life?”

My Advice – If you actively engage with your followers, friends, readers, and acquaintances, then you ARE living your best life with social media.

• Help others live their best life with social media by making it easy for them to share on your blog by using tools such as the ReTweet or Facebook Share buttons (wordpress plugins).
• Follow other people’s blogs, comment, and share their articles with your networks easily by using Google Reader.
• Find interesting articles to share with your followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook by creating an Alltop page.
• Use tools such as Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, or Co-Tweet to manage your social media presence and respond quickly to messages.
• Lastly, re-tweet, share, Digg, and reblog others’ content when it presents something of value to your own network.

Final Thoughts

For some, social media is just another way to stay in touch with friends and play with some cool online toys. For others, it’s a way to generate business leads and sales. Whichever way you decide to live with social media I hope you live your best life. I hope you maximize everything here in order to create something of value to yourself and for someone else. What in social media is valuable to you? Do you feel like you already live your best life with social media? What else would you add to this list? Share your thoughts below.

About the Author

Rod Kirby is the editor-in-chief of The Success Center, the #1 Christian Entrepreneur’s blog-a-zine for small business, financial, marketing, and social media help. For resources to help you take your life, brand, blog, or business to the next level, check out the Best of The Success Center. You can also follow Rod’s rampage of terror on Twitter and find him misbehaving on Facebook.