I listened to a short talk on the Opera Radio about the benefits of Social Networking. Dr. Monica Forret of St. Ambrose University was interviewed there and she talked about benefits of social networking (also known as social connections) in job haunting. Social Networking is a buzzword that has entered our vocabulary pretty much the same way the word Google has. Both of them now constitute an integral part of our personal and professional experience on the Internet.

The speaker’s talk focused on job haunting, but I believe her comments could be applied to online marketing too. She referred to a term called social capital, which essentially said you should care more about “who” you know than “what” you know. The notion of social networking is only possible through the Internet and web sites that offer networks or tribes. Connection. We are no longer persons of individualistic social status that we have been used to for the last 5,000 years. We are now defined by how well we are connected to, or in Web-speak, how well we are “linked” to others. The more people you are connected, the more you are linked on the Internet. As a result, the more you become discoverable.

Online discovery leads to sales. You know how to sell, if a qualified lead finds you. The trick is to do something so leads unknown to you can easily discover you. Discoverability is going to be the name of the game in the next few years. Just having a Web site won’t cut it anymore. Every person has a Web site and hence there are billions of them in the cyberspace. The question is can your qualified leads out there, who indeed are in need of your products and services, have a way to discover you immediately? Immediacy is the timeframe by which they should find you.

Here is the link to the talk. It runs for 4 minutes.

http://www.oprah.com/media/20090505-radio-jean-chatzky-connections