What are the ethical lines (if any) between selling stuff and selling/promoting yourself or business on social networking sites?

2016-02-27T01:47:14-05:00

While social media was built around the idea of networking, getting the word out to the right people about your skills or business can be a tricky business in itself. This can be especially true for those of us who've gone into creative fields. I'm now an artist specializing in naval and military artwork. Marketing my work and skills to veteran's or any other groups on social media sites such as Facebook or RP can be problematic due to group no sell/no marketing rules. So how does one use social media to promote themselves and their work?

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Feb 27 at 2016 1:53 AM

2016-02-27T01:53:41-05:00

Put your information in your profile. As you gain influence from comments germane to the subject at hand people will review your profile and perhaps visit your site. You can also get "buzz" by doing pieces of specific interests and contact a group who might be interested. Imagine you do a piece on the USS Liberty (read about it) then contact that group association & let them know what you have. Things like that. Good luck.

Response by PO1 Sean Jones made Feb 27 at 2016 6:32 AM

2016-02-27T06:32:27-05:00

My daughter created a Facebook page for my company. I post pictures, or share interesting things on it. As work comes in, customers can see more of who I am, and the quality of work I produce. Seems to be working on that aspect. As far as getting work through the site, I've found that the " likes" are from people who have already called. It's more of a portfolio I think.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2016 7:10 AM

2016-02-27T07:10:27-05:00

I'm also a personal trainer. I see who's interested in training or group classes in person, then I post an event and invite only those that expressed interest. Then I rely on references to spread the word of how awesome the session was.

Response by PO2 Ruth Snow made Feb 27 at 2016 10:34 AM

2016-02-27T10:34:34-05:00

If you do visual work, you can share a share a photo of what you do. If the page administrator doesn't approve the posting, it won't show. Do you have a separate page on Facebook specifically for your art? That's one way to spread the word. Make the page public and keep some semblance of normalcy to your profile. They will overlap at some point. Don't be afraid to put yo u r stuff out there. If groups or pages have a problem with the post, they will ask you not to post.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Feb 27 at 2016 1:06 PM

2016-02-27T13:06:20-05:00

There are lots of Veterans Pages on FB. Drop them a Message, Let them know you are out there. You already got the Eye of Liberal Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines. Yours Truly and if you send me a Link I'll post it on my Page. Hell I'll put it on my Personal Pages on FB, Twitter, Google Plus and Pinterest.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2016 3:03 PM

2016-02-27T15:03:11-05:00

I suggest you stay relevant on people's news feed. My blog covers the same material I share on social media and forum sites. There are over a dozen people on RP that can tell you I can be a pain in the butt about the things I'm passionate about - Linux.

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Feb 29 at 2016 10:32 AM

2016-02-29T10:32:13-05:00

I just opened a Muay Thai studio with my business partner. Well, we will in 2-3 weeks, when the building mods are complete.... We use Fb extensively for marketing and member communication. So far, more traffic to the Fb page than the website by at least a 10:1 margin.

Do a google on Fb business pages, pretty simple. A lot of groups will allow occasional mentions of your business, but remember that their members aren't going to want to be spammed. Nobody will follow a group if they have to scroll through pages of ads to get to the content that they want. Also, the groups don't exist for the purpose of providing free ad space.

Fb also has some sophisticated ad placement services, if you are willing to pay. We haven't gone that route with our studio yet, but I expect we will within 6 months.

Response by SSG Shavonde Chase made Apr 18 at 2017 1:27 AM

2017-04-18T01:27:36-04:00

You can create your own group or join a group that does not frown upon it. There are many groups. I'll start compiling a list and share later this week.

Response by SSG Gerald King made Apr 20 at 2017 7:29 PM

2017-04-20T19:29:34-04:00

I think if you make something special for certain veterans, it may be okay as long as you don't make it a habit. Like this I posted on a military facebook page. A Vietnam Service bracelet. Got over 200 likes.