There are a few essential things you need to do in order to make SMM work for you:

• Let your customers do the work – In an older context it was very important for the seller to communicate with the buyer and “sell” the buyer on the benefits of your product. Many hours could easily be wasted trying to convince potential buyers that your product was the best thing since sliced bread. This is no longer the accepted paradigm. Any successful internet marketer will tell you the most effective strategy is to get your existing customers talking to your prospective customers. I can tell you just how effective this is myself. I have several clients who are my biggest evangelists and bring me more business than I can ever find for myself. Just the other day I was at a meeting of local business owners and when the subject of my business came up (not mine specifically) one of my current customers said very vehemently that if they wanted things done right to come to me. I was a little embarrassed by this since the service I had performed wasn’t that substantial but the end result was I gained five new customers. These were customers that I had to do absolutely nothing to get! By doing a good job on your service or product your customers will promote you better than you can! Conversely if you do a bad job you will lose even more prospective customers because bad news spreads faster and further than good news.

• Get people talking – Getting people to start talking isn’t all that difficult. Just suggesting a topic to someone can get a whole conversation going. Try it when you get a chance. It is quite simple to do! The hard part is directing that conversation toward your product or cause. This requires a bit more thought but can be done if you are willing to make the investment. So-called content marketing is using relationships to get your message across. Content marketing uses tools that are already around to people who are interested in hearing from you. By using opt-in services such as blogs, podcasts, videos and vlogs you can broadcast your message to thousands of potential customers. The key is the relationship. Make yourself known on these sites and let people become acquainted with you. Then when they need a product that you sell you are the first person they think of.

• Discuss your product in a human voice – this might sound odd but it is very important! The best salespeople in the world are ones that can relate to you in a personal way. They have a story to tell and it draws you in, makes you curious, and makes you more eager to buy. You are asking someone to buy your service or product so be human with them! Good writing skills are important here as you want people to relate to you. Some might call this the snake-oil tactic of selling but it does in fact work! Your customer will respond to an amazing and authentic story faster than one that is filled with simple information. Soothe your potential clients ears!

There is no doubt that SMM requires some effort to actually be effective but it can be very effective if you are willing to invest the time necessary. Think back to some of the things you bought. Did you buy the product that simply listed its specs and was written in a very formal style? Or did you select the product that spoke straight to you? It is more likely you chose the latter, and your customers will too!

Here are just a few of the coming features of Facebook Connect:

Trusted Authentication
Users will be able to connect their Facebook account with any partner website using a trusted authentication method. Whether at login, or anywhere else a developer would like to add social context, the user will be able to authenticate and connect their account in a trusted environment. The user will have total control of the permissions granted.

Real Identity
Facebook users represent themselves with their real names and real identities. With Facebook Connect, users can bring their real identity information with them wherever they go on the Web, including: basic profile information, profile picture, name, friends, photos, events, groups, and more.

Friends Access
Users count on Facebook to stay connected to their friends and family. With Facebook Connect, users can take their friends with them wherever they go on the Web. Developers will be able to add rich social context to their websites. Developers will even be able to dynamically show which of their Facebook friends already have accounts on their sites.

Dynamic Privacy
As a user moves around the open Web, their privacy settings will follow, ensuring those users’ information and privacy rules are always up-to-date. For example, if a user changes their profile picture, or removes a friend connection, this will be automatically updated in the external website.

Facebook connect will be available for users within the next several weeks. Start enjoying surfing the web taking all your buddies with you everywhere you go.