By Amy Leibrock

First things first—Pilates-Pro.com is now on Facebook and LinkedIn! If you’re a member of either, we’d love for you to become a fan/group member. Use the links or log on to either site and search for “Pilates-Pro.com” to find us.

If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, read on. Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter might sound intimidating, but they’re actually quite easy to use. They each work a little differently, but basically they all provide ways to interact with friends, family, colleagues and clients on the Web. Social networks won’t make or break your business, but they are great ways to spread the word about your studio and creatively market your services (for free!). And they’re becoming more and more popular every day.

This article is by no means a comprehensive guide to using these new technologies. Consider it a gentle nudge to give in to the cyber pull of social networking sites and start experimenting. If you’ve already had success using these sites, add a comment about how you use them. If it’s all new to you, grab the nearest teen or 20-something for a quick tutorial. Or, just read our tips, create a profile and start networking.

How Can I Use Social Networks?

1. To facilitate word-of-mouth marketing
Whether you’re running a multi-location Pilates studio or just teaching a few classes at the YMCA, chances are you have a number of clients who are wild about you and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to their friends. This is exactly what Facebook is good at. If those clients become “fans” of you, their friends will notice and look to you first if they want to try Pilates.

2. To build relationships
Pilates is a very personal experience for most clients. Who says this relationship has to begin and end in the studio? Sure, you have a Web site to communicate your main philosophy and business message, but social networking sites allow you to connect with clients on a different level, strengthen your relationship and keep them engaged in your business.

3. To help with special promotions
Do you plan special studio events, classes, workshops and promotions? If so, you probably have a plan for promoting them, but social networking can augment those efforts. You can create an event on Facebook and “invite” your client network. You could even set up special promos available only to your Facebook fans or Twitter followers. The possibilities are endless.

4. To build web traffic
Any social networking profile you create should link back to your Web site, which will help boost your search ranking and drive more people to your site.

5. To be cool
I found this reason on the blog Marketing Jive (formerly SEOspace) and had to include it:

“You never know who is using Facebook. Consider the following scenario: a potential prospect could be doing research on your brand or organization and may use Facebook to see if you have a presence there. Then they see that you have a Facebook profile and see a number of positive posts about your brand. This in turn can shape their sphere of influence and could end up being one of many deciding factors as to why the prospect selects you over another vendor. The perception that Facebook is “IN” and the fact that you are using Facebook could help influence their perception of your brand. Having said that, there are still may who are anti-Facebook so it could also affect the perception about your brand. The fact remains is that Facebook continues to gain popularity and it is not going away anytime soon.”

Where Should I Start?

1. Start with one site
Don’t feel that you have to have your fingers in all of these sites. It’s better to master one well than open more accounts than you can keep up with. All of these sites have something to offer if you’re engaged enough in them, but Facebook is the best place for Pilates instructors to start, in my opinion. MySpace may have more users, but Facebook is about to catch up—and it’s more friendly to the “older” folks who are more likely to be your current and potential clients.

2. Get comfortable
Once you create a profile, take some time to experiment and get familiar with how to use it. Observe how your more tech-savvy friends use the site and look to some of your favorite companies for examples. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find ideas everywhere.

3. Be yourself
I asked Sepideh Saremi, a social media professional friend of mine, for her advice on how to use Facebook and the like for business: “Act like a human on all those networks—don’t pester people with spammy messages,” she said. “Don’t only talk about your business.” In other words, keep in mind that you’re part of a community of real people who expect you to be a real person in return. Sure, you can broadcast that you’re teaching a new class on Sundays, but they also might want to know your favorite vacation spot or that you sometimes eat ice cream at midnight.

4. Choose usernames carefully
If you do decide to dive into several networking sites, try to keep your usernames the same across the board, advised Saremi. “It makes you more Google-able,” she said. You’ll want to use your business name or your real name. A moniker like “ILuvJoePilates” might be cute, but no one will be able to find you.

5. Have fun!
Once you start developing your online persona, don’t let it overwhelm you. As I said above, it won’t make or break your business, so if keeping up with your “Tweets” and “status updates” becomes too much, take a hard look at what’s giving you the most benefit and scale everything else back. What’s most important is the quality of your teaching and the service you provide to your clients. If you’re having fun teaching Pilates, it will show online and off!

Social Networking Resources
Here are just a few places to learn more about social networking.
Mashable.com
Problogger.net
11 Business Benefits of Using Facebook Applications
17 Ways You Can Use Twitter

_______________________________________
RELATED ARTICLES
See all Business Ideas articles