Not too long ago, blogging was the hottest thing on the Internet. Lately social networking has been the one getting all of the attention, but can you use it to help grow your business? In many cases, you can but not in the same way that you utilize other marketing channels because it just doesn’t work the same way. Simply creating a profile, adding contacts and sending them promotional messages is not going to generate many sales if any. More often than not, you will alienate your contacts. On the other hand, social networking can make an impact when you utilize it to reach specific people on an individual basis through mutual contacts, and when you utilize it as a networking tool. If you use it to develop and nurture relationships rather than simply using it as another form of mass communication, you can earn trust, and subsequently, results.
Ready to get started? For most business owners, LinkedIn is probably going to be the most effective, and there are several others, such as Plaxo, Go Big Network and Ryze.
