Before you can take full of advantage of all that social media has to offer
, you must begin by understanding the different types which exist today. Once you have a grasp on what exactly you are dealing with, you will be better equipped to use them to their ultimate potential.
Many people think that social media, in business terms, can only be used to promote your website. However it can take on a more active role including publishing or hosting duties. For example, sites like WordPress and Xanga offer simple yet excellent blogging programs. Any business can sign and use these sites to publish their own blogs. In some cases these blogs may actually serve as the company's primary website. The truly great thing is that many of these social media sites come outfitted with a built-in target audience complete with shared interests.
Popular social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace play host to an endless list of both large and small businesses. With millions upon millions of registered users online every day they offer the ultimate in free exposure and publicity. It is incredibly easy to sign up for a profile page and most of these sites offer their services completely free of charge.
A slew of other options exist in the realm of social media. For example, social bookmarking sites offer users the opportunity to post and share links to their favorite websites. There is no rule that says you cannot set up a link to your own website. Some popular examples of such sites include Digg, StumbleUpon and Del.icio.us.
LinkedIn is a great social networking site which allows professionals to mix with one another as well as their clients. It's a great place to make contacts and further develop professional relationships.
You can always decide to host your own social media programs on your own website. That would include anything from publishing a blog, to hosting a community forum, to posting informative podcasts or videos. It also gives online business leaders the chance to interact with their own clients on a more intimate level.
Marketing through social media is a timely investment however the rewards are noticeable. The fact that these social media outlets allow personal relationships to be built atop professional relationships makes them truly remarkable and unique opportunities.