The following is an excerpt from The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, a new book from David Teten and About.com Entrepreneurs Guide Scott Allen on building business relationships online.

How to Use Online Networks for Marketing

Here are some of the ways that you can use social networks to market your company and you:

Research your market. You have two ears and one mouth; listen more than you talk. Through participation in these communities, companies can learn about consumer interests and reactions with a candor rarely found in focus groups and surveys.

Create Competence. If becoming an expert in your field is part of your marketing strategy, social networks give you a much more accessible outlet than the media. You can speak up in a mailing list, discussion forum, or blog, and reach hundreds or thousands of people. Say something useful, original, and profound, and you will get quoted and linked to, reaching even more people.

Build and reinforce your brand. Every signature in an e-mail or on the Web, and every profile online, is an opportunity to reinforce your brand.

Unveil a human voice. Networked markets demand openness from the companies who want to sell into those markets. Organizations should have more people participating virtually than just professional marketers. A happy employee is a more powerful brand evangelist than almost anyone in Marketing. This is one reason why Microsoft has approximately 1,200 bloggers out of 55,000 employees.

Associate yourself with a not-for-profit cause. People are much more willing to gather around a cause than a company.

Microtarget. If you have identified a particular narrowly-defined groups to target, the odds are good that you can identify a virtual community where they are already gathered. Are you selling consulting services to independent bookstores? If it doesn’t already exist, just create a virtual community for your target pool, seed it with your closest relationships, and watch it grow.

Ignite word-of-mouth buzz. If you have a new product or service, word-of-mouth—satisfied customers talking about you—is one of the most effective ways to establish your Competence. Word-of-mouth flows through social networks; Leaders of networks are excellent lighthouse customers. If the most prominent blogger in your field likes what you sell, you will create a powerful evangelist.

A common mistake many marketers make when dealing with online communication is in thinking that it can be turned on and off like an advertising campaign. Online networks are generally not very receptive to marketing messages from brand new members. You must earn the right to talk about your product through participation in and contribution to the community. Similarly, you cannot simply leave when the campaign is over, or you will be seen as shallow and a “user.” People do not want to be used; please do not use people.

Economic Minister Bendt Bendtsen unveiled the government’s plan Thursday for raising the world’s awareness about Denmark.

Marketing Foundation Denmark provided the cornerstone of the strategy, and a total of DKK 412 million (EUR 55.6 million) has been allotted to promote Denmark over the next four years. Read the complete article at denmark.dk

If you want all the details (only available in Danish) then check konservative.dk

35 nations branding value (Country names are written in Danish)

The Danish government has published ReD Associates’ analysis and recommendations for global promotion of Denmark within exports, investments, tourism, research, culture etc.

It is very interesting reading, and I recommend looking through it. It might change the way you are promoting your Danish products. Read the Executive summary in English here or the full report here in Danish (7,5MB)

At the Danish Business Summit in Atlanta Nov. 2006, the question was raised if you as a Danish company in the US should promote and market your company and products as being Danish? Here is what the people interviewed in the report said:

“Danish people are competent, I feel comfortable in Denmark, what they [Danes] say will get done gets done, efficiently. What I would like to see is more publicity for Danish goods and why they are so good’” Russ Dailey, USA

“Danish companies and products are characterized by technology and high quality” Zacharias Karacristo, Brazil

“Danish companies as well as products are characterized by quality and that they provide innovative solutions rather than just a product” Paulo Ribeiro, Brazil

“Unless you spend a lot of time and effort in making something the best in the world, or the highest quality, Denmark could not exist. And I think that principle applies to the products and companies that Danes make. The best in the world, or highly differentiated” Chulwoong Sohn, South Korea

“High quality, strong design, not mass market, not trying to be global, but picking one or two key competences” Angus MacLennan, UK

“Danish products are very good - a guarantee of quality as opposed to e.g. American products” Galina Bogoljubova, Russia

“Danish products are high value, good quality, probably expensive” Scott Supernaw, USA

“The fact that a product is “made in Denmark” is a quality mark” Edson Petrillo, Brazil

“Very high quality… but not really marketed products. Few people know that the product they buy is actually Danish.” Bimal Raizada, India

The report concludes that Danish goods should be promoted as “Made in Denmark” due to the strong brand that Danish goods and services have as being quality and world class.

So forget Janteloven for a while and start telling the story about your product being DANISH and let’s help Denmark, Danish tourism and your company’s sales by mentioning Denmark every chance we get.

“Danes shouldn’t underestimate their potential to do business in the United States” International business consultant Allyson Stewart-Allen

But bridging gaps in American and European business behaviors is not necessarily easy, Stewart-Allen said. There are key differences. For example, in Europe – particularly the United Kingdom – business failure is a disgrace; less so in the U.S., a more mobile society with less traditional hierarchies and deep local ties. In the U.S., “you are defined by what you do;” in Europe’s older cultures, it is more about “who you are” and social ranking, according to Stewart-Allen.

Top Ten Tips
Working with Americans

1. The Clock is King. Be on time for meetings.
2. Packaging is important. Neatness and attention to details are key.
3. Don’t be insulted when an American business colleague suggests a get together but doesn’t follow up.
4. Don’t be surprised if lawyers or consultants are included in meetings.
5. Be Prepared. Americans expect you to quickly provide specifics about products and prices.
6. Have your market entry, training, or revenue plans ready.
7. Do business first, schmooze second.
8. Treat everyone at your American counterpart’s organization equally.
9. Expect Americans to make decisions quickly and worry about consequences later.
10. Recognize your American counterparts’ opinions and involve them in decisions.

Read the complete article on AmCham Denmark’s website or check the book out at here Working With Americans: How to Build Profitable Business Relationships