Social Networking for Small Businesses

There are many Online Social Networks out there that can put you in touch with hundreds, thousands and even millions of people for free. One site that is all about business networking is LinkedIn, which has over 30 million users. So if you're not on there, you should be! Make sure you spend some time on your profile. Think of this as your online resume or a billboard for your company. Tell people about yourself and your business and be specific about how you can help them. Use the "Specialties" section to list all or most of your services. Write about yourself in the third person - it's better for search engines to find you and list you. Find groups that are relevant to your business. Think about your customers or ideal customers and look for groups they would be interested in joining. If you're a local business, look for groups on LinkedIn that are in your area.

Use LinkedIn to promote your business by going to the group page and then go to the discussions page. Here you will find people posting questions, job announcements, etc. Feel free to introduce yourself to other group members and try to open up a dialogue on how you can help them and their business. Reach out to other people and ask them to join your network, give them your email address to make it easier for them to send you an invite. You can also reach out to people directly in your groups and invite them to join your network. Make sure to tell them a little bit about why you would like to link with them and how they may benefit from the connection. It may take you some time but it's a great way to network and get your name out there without having to make a financial investment.