Social networking sites have flooded the internet in recent years, and they seem to be showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Twitter started as any other site of a similar nature does; by targeting the ‘Facebook Crowd’. Those are the people that use social networking sites to stay in contact with family, friends, partners and long-lost pals. Of course, this is all well and good, considering that the internet is densely populated with such users.

However it has become apparent that businesses are now able to tap into this sector of the online community by integrating their marketing strategies into the public domain, through websites such a Facebook and MySpace.

However, the sites existing before Twitter have tended to be a little content-heavy, as they are geared directly towards casual home users. Twitter is the first main-stream social networking site to allow simple bulletin style posts to grab subscriber attention and direct them to other areas of the web, such as media and content held in other locations.

Twitter subscriptions are very similar to RSS feeds, which makes them an ideal tool for keeping stakeholders in the business up to date with the latest news and related information. Businesses are able to use Twitter to send these stakeholders to other areas of the internet, watch rival business activity, and keep up to date with other aspects of business – both industry specific and market-wide.

Netwise Hosting use Twitter as a bulletin tool, notifying subscribers of new blog posts, news, reviews, and product information. You can find our Twitter account here.

On the web today, there are tens of thousands of business directories, allowing any type of organisation to register for a free or paid listing. This is perfect for getting links to your business out on the net, with minimal effort. Being listed in many different directories ensures your companys name, contact information and website are floating on the world wide web in as many locations as possible. But is this really going to work for you? Will this pull in greater revenues and ensure more impressive profits? It is highly unlikely. Whilst some would consider this a form of e-marketing, it is more a simple blanketing exercise through which your information is seen by few people – even fewer within your target market.

So how can directories actively work towards forming a solid foundation for an online marketing campaign?

For starters, free directory listings will only get you so far. Whilst its good to be listed in all the major commercial directories for your area/country (i.e. Yell.com for the UK etc), it makes more sense to focus on industry-specific directories. Pick as many as you can for free listings, ensuring all information is short and detailed enough to attract clicks. The main problem with free listings is the fact that they tend to get filed in long behind paid listings, and receive no further notice through being featured or highlighted. This essentially means that free listings should only be used to supplement a primary directory/set of directories that you employ as proper marketing tools, through full paid listings. Free listings only really exist to serve the off chance that customers will stumble upon your listing without real care being taken to search specifically for what it is that they want.

Paid listings are the key to making directories work for you as traffic-driving marketing tools. Pick your primary directory/directories carefully. They should be industry specific, ensuring the money spent here is not wasted on traffic not interested in your product/service. Paid listings will allow your business to be seen by far more people than an equivalent free listing, as it will often be featured and can contain far more detail. Securing a solid relationship between you and your directory representative can also help to earn free incentives to stay with them, such as free homepage exposure and advertising space.

Netwise Hosting have been in a long relationship with Serchen, the worlds largest hosting and web services directory organisation. They run a number of industry specific directories which significantly boost traffic and revenue for those service providers who choose to employ their services. Our relationship with our representative has ensured our ability to gain key advertising space and homepage exposure with interviews and awards.

Take time in developing a directory strategy, and do not think your work is done when your business is named in every free directory on the net. You get out what you put in, and unless you are operating in an industry which is highly driven by customers finding you directly, paid directory listings are the only guaranteed way to ensure directories actively work for you; instead of you working for them.

Resellers are nothing new – particularly in the hosting industry. Many sectors of business run schemes whereby goods are sold by proxy through a third party, with branding, pricing and other variables passed onto the reseller. The manufacturing industry uses an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) system, in which products are outsourced to third parties and rebranded for resale.

The hosting market is not far different in its approach to reselling products; and of course with the business being fully deployed online, the reseller flexibility makes potential profitability very attractive.

Resellers can take some of the leg-work away from the hosting provider, by passing marketing, account management and revenue onto a third party. This essentially means that a reseller in the hosting industry can run a successful business using products hosted with the original provider. This means that the reseller can take on the responsibility of securing customers without worrying about the management of server technologies – whilst the provider can concentrate on running industry-beating technology without having to spend excess time on marketing and other related subactivities.

Netwise Hosting currently have a number of active international reseller contracts. These have proven to be highly successful, with both parties very happy with the significant returns seen since the beginning of each relationship. These relationships develop and expand over time, ensuring business growth is organic and steady into the future.

If you are at all interested in becoming a reseller with Netwise Hosting, feel free to contact us. Visit the website for relevant contact information.