{"id":11590,"date":"2010-02-25T00:03:58","date_gmt":"2010-02-24T18:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=11590"},"modified":"2026-10-12T12:33:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:03:33","slug":"social-network-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Network Marketing: The Right Way to Use Social Networks (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Social networks are full of marketers who send a friend request and then immediately pitch a product, tag strangers in ads or flood groups with links. That&#8217;s the wrong way. Guest author Hans David explained the right way to do <strong>social network marketing<\/strong> in 2010: be human first, build relationships, then promote occasionally. MySpace and Digg are gone, but his advice fits LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X perfectly in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64362\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/social-network-marketing-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"The right way to use social networks for marketing\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/social-network-marketing-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/social-network-marketing-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/social-network-marketing-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/social-network-marketing-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/social-network-marketing.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Use a real, professional photo and complete profile, connect with people genuinely interested in your field, don&#8217;t pitch right after connecting, share useful and personal content far more than promotions (a common guide is roughly 80% value, 20% promotion), join conversations and groups to help, and send people to your website or newsletter only when it&#8217;s relevant.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6acd027846d87\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6acd027846d87\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#8_rules_for_social_network_marketing_done_right\" >8 rules for social network marketing done right<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#1_Use_your_real_photo\" >1. Use your real photo<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#2_Complete_your_profile_honestly\" >2. Complete your profile honestly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#3_Dont_promote_right_after_connecting\" >3. Don&#8217;t promote right after connecting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#4_Share_interesting_things_not_just_your_business\" >4. Share interesting things, not just your business<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#5_Help_in_groups_and_communities\" >5. Help in groups and communities<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#6_Never_tag_or_message_people_with_ads\" >6. Never tag or message people with ads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#7_Create_content_for_each_platform\" >7. Create content for each platform<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#8_Build_owned_connections\" >8. Build owned connections<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#Signs_youre_doing_it_wrong\" >Signs you&#8217;re doing it wrong<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#What_is_social_network_marketing\" >What is social network marketing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#How_much_should_I_promote_on_social_media\" >How much should I promote on social media?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/02\/social-network-marketing\/#Should_I_use_a_personal_profile_or_a_business_page\" >Should I use a personal profile or a business page?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_rules_for_social_network_marketing_done_right\"><\/span>8 rules for social network marketing done right<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Use_your_real_photo\"><\/span>1. Use your real photo<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Hans&#8217;s first rule still matters: no dollar signs, sports cars or random logos as your profile picture on personal accounts. A friendly, professional photo makes people trust you.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Complete_your_profile_honestly\"><\/span>2. Complete your profile honestly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Explain who you are, what you do, who you help and a little about your interests. People connect with those who share their interests and values.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Dont_promote_right_after_connecting\"><\/span>3. Don&#8217;t promote right after connecting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Accepting a connection request and instantly receiving a sales pitch or group invite is a turn-off. Start with a genuine conversation, or simply engage with their posts.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Share_interesting_things_not_just_your_business\"><\/span>4. Share interesting things, not just your business<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Mix helpful tips, industry news, behind-the-scenes moments and personal stories. When you do promote, people listen, because you&#8217;ve earned trust.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Help_in_groups_and_communities\"><\/span>5. Help in groups and communities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Answer questions in Facebook Groups, LinkedIn discussions, Reddit communities and niche forums. Follow each community&#8217;s self-promotion rules. See how to use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/09\/forums-as-social-media-marketing-tools\/\">forums as social media marketing tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Never_tag_or_message_people_with_ads\"><\/span>6. Never tag or message people with ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Tagging people in product photos or sending unsolicited sales messages damages your reputation and can get your account restricted.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Create_content_for_each_platform\"><\/span>7. Create content for each platform<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Short videos for Reels and TikTok, professional insights on LinkedIn, visual pins on Pinterest. Adapt the format instead of pasting the same link everywhere.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Build_owned_connections\"><\/span>8. Build owned connections<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Invite engaged followers to your newsletter or community so you&#8217;re not dependent on any one platform&#8217;s algorithm. See how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/08\/build-list-with-facebook\/\">build your email list with Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Signs_youre_doing_it_wrong\"><\/span>Signs you&#8217;re doing it wrong<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>People unfollow or mute you after you post.<\/li>\n<li>Your posts get clicks from bots but no real replies.<\/li>\n<li>Groups remove your posts for self-promotion.<\/li>\n<li>Most of your messages are pitches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Put these rules into practice with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/maximize-social-media-results\/\">CRAVE principle for social media results<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_social_network_marketing\"><\/span>What is social network marketing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Using social platforms to build relationships, share content and promote a business or brand.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_should_I_promote_on_social_media\"><\/span>How much should I promote on social media?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Mostly value. Many marketers aim for around four helpful posts for every promotional one.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_I_use_a_personal_profile_or_a_business_page\"><\/span>Should I use a personal profile or a business page?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Both can work. Use a business page for your brand, and your personal profile to build relationships, within each platform&#8217;s rules.<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally written by guest author Hans David, owner of NetMarketersCentral, an internet marketing resource site. Updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social networks are full of marketers who send a friend request and then immediately pitch a product, tag strangers in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[44,49],"class_list":["post-11590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media","tag-guest-posts","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11590"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64364,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11590\/revisions\/64364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}