Last week I talked about Email Marketing and the 4 Corners of Web Marketing. This is part 1 of the series on social networking for business and focuses on getting setup in social networking.

Social Networks are groups of people that share interests or groups of people who are interested in learning more about these interests that keep in touch on a regular basis (that was a mouthful). So why is this relevant to your business? Well for one if there are people in these networks that share a common interest which happens to be your product or service, well wouldn’t you want to be in front of them on a regular basis?

Social Networking is relatively new, so there really isn’t a roadmap that has been released to make them work for your business. That being said, I’ve been using social networking for my business successfully for a little over a year and can navigate and introduce you to this new concept.

Why should I social network? Well for one as I mentioned above there are people on these social networks that have an interest in what you do or a product your offer. You want to be in front them as much as possible, right?…oh and did I mention that these sites are free? A free chance for you to get in front of your customers…that sounds like a deal.

So how do you get started in Social Networking? There are so many social networks out there today, so to keep it simple I usually recommend to my clients to start with Facebook, Linkdin, and if they are web savvy Pownce and Twitter. These will give you a good base for your social networking.

Facebook allows you to create a profile for yourself, but you can also create a page for your business, which I find a great aspect of this social network. Within my business page, I can give my network updates, blog posting, photos, new launches, etc. These are people that want this information…remember that, it is key.

LinkedIn is a much more conservative social network that connects people based on past employers, college, high school and beyond. The great thing about this social network is you are able to ask someone for an introduction to one of their connections very easily. I find this very helpful in business networking.

Pownce and Twitter are used more as a sort of messaging service within a certain network that you have established. Great for someone who own a product business or is introducing products at great prices on a regular basis. You don’t want to be just selling to people all the time, obviously there has to be some added value your are giving back to your network.

If you already have any of these and would like to connect with me on my networks, please do:

Facebook
LinkedIn
Pownce

Please go ahead and create an account on Facebook and Linkdin and next week I will give you a few pointers on using this tool to create leads for your business and make contacts that can help you grow your business. As always - If you ever have any questions on the article, feel free to contact me or post comments below.