Using social networking for business purposes

Chances are, you've heard of social networking sites. Places like myspace, facebook, and LinkedIn are some of the most commonly visited sites on the web. While many people think social networking sites are limited to such things as catching up with friends or dating, there are many people who turn to social networking for business purposes.

What are social networking sites?
Social networking sites are those that attract a large number of people to socialize or, in a business sense, make contacts. While myspace, facebook, and Friendster are popular ones for mainly social purposes, sites like LinkedIn and ZeroDegrees are more popular for business reasons. The more people who are on these sites and the more popular they become, the better your chances for increasing business.

On a social networking site, you set up a profile of yourself that can include such things as companies you have worked for, your job title, school, and any other programs or organizations you are affiliated with.

When to use social networking for business
If you have a business but you're confused about how to utilize social networking sites, there are a number of things you can do, including:

• Meet contacts in the industry. You can use social networking to meet people in your current industry, or in an industry you are looking to break into.


• Make sales. Use your contact lists and the lists of others you know to make sales or generate new leads.


• If you already have relationships with people on a social networking site, you can hook into their friends and have an instant connection. This is often a good entry into looking into new leads or prospects.


• Find people from previous jobs. Using social networking sites for business allows you to search for old contacts you may have lost touch with. This can help set you in the right direction for making new contacts, closing deals, or getting in touch with old bosses or coworkers who can write letters of recommendation, etc.


• Post / browse resumes. You can also use social networking sites to post and look at the resumes of those on them. While they are not specifically for employment, as a business owner or manager, you maybe able to find someone with the specific qualities you are looking for in an employee. Even more helpful is if this person knows someone you are already connected to.

Making social networking sites successful
Social networking sites revolve around making a group of people you already know and then looking at their contacts (or friends) and finding the contacts you need to help you do business. With that in mind, once you register with a networking site, work on building a network of people you already know. Many of these sites have features that allow you to enter search terms, like the name of a company, and it will come up with everyone who has connections there or who works there. Once you have established a strong group of business connections, then work on exploring the contacts of your friends. That way, contacting them is not so much of a cold call-you have common friends. It's also a good idea to find out which of your associates are online, and what sites they use.

When used correctly, social networking sites can be very helpful for business purposes.