Online identities
are important to individuals in all different professions. They are important to individuals who are
freelance writers, because have an extra responsibility to reach out to the
public and attract individuals and companies that are in need of their services. Yet they
are also important to business professionals how are often paid on commissions
or with bonus incentives, and as a result are always trying to increase their
customer base.
In many cases the networks that these
individuals use are different, because they are reaching out to a different
target audience. Business professionals,
financial advisors for example, are more likely trying to attract older clients
who are a year or two years away from retirement. They will likely have better success connecting
with this type of client on networks that have been around longer. While a freelance writer is expected to be
more experienced with new technology, and someone searching for their services
might be more likely to use a newer network in order to find a freelance writer
who has demonstrated that they are on top of new technology.
In today’s fast
past society the consumer wants what they want when they want it. They do not like waiting for information, and
in many cases if they are likely to select a provider from the top ten of the
search result simply based on convenience.
This is one big reason that individuals dip into more than one network. Having your online identity reinforced in
different networks increases the chance that the provider’s name will appear in
one of these searches.
Facebook is a
great network for providing contact information. Twitter is a great tool for providing the
consumer with information. By providing
a link to the consumer the provider is asking the consumer to become
engaged. In many cases the more engaged
the consumer is the more successful the business relationship will be.